Night of a Thousand Horses
by ShaggyDiz
Summary: [Post movie][Ashitaka x San] Love. Death. Greed. A sin within a sin. A night of many. A morning of few. [Chapter five]
1. Calm Storm

* * *

Disclaimer: Princess Mononoke (a.k.a., Mononoke Hime) is owned by Hayao Miyzaki and Studio Ghibli. This story is being written for my amusement and not for money purposes.

Night of a Thousand Horses

By ShaggyDiz

Chapter One: Calm/Storm

Ashitaka slowly walked across Tatara Ba towards the main gate. The sun was beginning to set behind the hills, closing another beautiful day in the forest valley. It had been seven days since the Shishi Gami had died, giving the forest a brand new flourish not seen in many years. During those seven days, the people of Tatara Ba were slow to rebuild, as supplies were short due to the recent affairs with the Shishi Gami. They had managed for the most part though, with what little they did have.

There was a reason why Ashitaka was heading for the gate. Exactly four days before, while helping with the rebuilding process, he spotted San and one of her brothers on the hill overlooking the town. He was planning on visiting her within the next few days, but seeing her there made him curious, and he decided to ask her about her position on top of the hill.

* * *

"I still don't like them," she said. Her brother had snarled in agreement.

"I know. So far they've kept their word. I'm making sure of that," Ashitaka replied.

San nodded, albeit very slowly. "I wanted to see for myself. I've been doing this for the past three days."

He was a bit surprised, but Ashitaka hid it well. "Has anyone seen you?"

"Not until you did." She paused for a moment. Her attention had been on the town ever since Ashitaka made his way up the hill. She finally turned to look at him though. It was only the second time she did. "We've kept a distance until today, hiding ourselves in the shadows of the trees."

"I see," he said, nodding as he did. His gaze returned to the town itself.

"San, we must return," her brother said.

"Okay." She looked to the town once more before looking back at Ashitaka. "Make sure they stay in line. I don't want to have to attack them if it comes down to it."

"Don't worry. They're more worried about getting back on their feet if anything." His attention was still on the town. He squinted a bit before pointing forward. "San, do you see that guard position by the gate?"

"I do."

"If you come here at this time every night, I'll go up there then and send you a signal as to how things are going here. How does that sound?"

San thought about it for a moment before leaning down and whispering into her brother's ear. He made a bark of some sort. It sounded almost half-pleased.

"Okay," she said. "What is this signal?"

"I'll keep it simple. I don't want to gain the attention of the town's people if I do something crazy." Ashitaka started back to the town. "Meet me at the lake in the forest in two days time, okay? I'll explain it to you there."

She seemed to want to disagree, but she couldn't. It was either his word or no word at all. Ashitaka was the only human that she trusted.

"Two days then," San finally said. "I will still come here every night though."

Ashitaka stopped and looked over his shoulder. "I'll be in that tower then. Look for me, all right? Good night." He walked down the hill without another word.

* * *

For four days after that, they kept their agreement. Ashitaka would take a spot in the guard tower to the left of the main gate, and at the hill overlooking the town, near the setting of the sun; San would arrive and look down. Ashitaka explained to San the simple gestures he would make, and told her brothers – whose eyesight was much sharper than San's – what they meant, so that they can tell it to their sister.

For four days after that, the town remained as peaceful and content as the two wanted it to be. Ashitaka climbed to the top of the tower, and as he set his gaze to the hill, he saw San and one of her brothers sitting at the top of the hill. He nodded his arrival first before showing a quick sequence of hand gestures – simple, and to the point.

"'All is good. Do not worry.' The message repeats itself twice more San," the wolf stated to the girl.

"Good." It was all she said. Her focus now remained on Ashitaka.

It was what she did every night after the agreement was made: San and her brother would remain several minutes longer – at her urging – so that she can see Ashitaka. Her brother had an idea as to what her reasons were, but he did not object to staying. They had, in fact, remained at their spot on some occasions for nearly fifteen minutes until Ashitaka took leave of the tower.

Tonight would be no different, though this time Ashitaka took a greater note of San than he normally did. Usually his sights were at the setting sun and the massive array of colors that lit up the sky before it turned into darkness.

This time though, he couldn't keep his eyes off of her.

Twenty minutes after he arrived on the tower, Ashitaka took his leave. San and her brother decided then to part as well.

* * *

* * *

The next day, San and one of her brothers rode up the hill towards Iron Town. Before they reached the top, they spotted a figure sitting on its crest.

"Who is that?" San asked. They walked closer until they saw an animal head peek up over the hill.

"It's the boy and his beast," the wolf said, answering her question.

"What are they doing there?" San pondered out loud. They continued up, though now, with Yakkul's sudden movement, Ashitaka had spotted them as well.

"Good evening," he said.

"What are you doing?"

"Waiting for you."

This made San curious. "Why? You could have easily done so from the tower."

"I know. But I decided to head out today for a little bit. That's why he's with me," he explained, pointing to Yakkul.

"Oh…"

"But why I'm here… well, I wanted to see you. No one expects me back until after the sun sets."

San nodded.

"Sit down," he commanded lightly, pointing to a spot next to him. She walked over to him and sat down, albeit a couple of feet away from where he pointed.

Her hated of humans still existed, even if she sat next to the one that she loved. It was uncomfortable being close to one.

"How was it today in the town?" she asked out of curiosity.

"Things were all right before I left. Lady Eboshi wants to rebuild the town a bit, but she would need some wood to do it. I told her I would ask you if it were allowed." He looked over to her, seeing her mood turn sour.

"What makes you think I would allow this?" she spat at him.

Ashitaka reached into his pouch and pulled out a small bag. "This was one of my reasons for heading out today," he said, handing the bag over to San. She opened it and pulled out some of its contents.

"Seeds?"

He nodded. "I took the main road down to a few towns to see if anyone sold seeds in a large quantity. I found a few and bought a sample of each. I'm going to give these to Lady Eboshi, and after she chooses the one she likes best, the two of us and Gonza will head out and buy more of it."

"I still do not like this. This will lead to more destruction, and everything that the Shishi Gami did will be for nothing." San handed the bag back to Ashitaka.

He shook his head. "Eboshi has promised to create no more Ishibiya. The iron factory will never be opened unless it is taken over by someone else."

"Someone else?"

He nodded. "She has a feeling that another attack will happen, though more will come than last time. Gonza led a team to try and track down Jogi a day after the Shishi Gami died. He came back three days later empty handed. They found none of the Jibashiri or any of the Karakasa Ren as well."

San turned to look at her brother. "What do you think?" she asked him.

"The boy is right. The human's greed will bring them back here for this town."

She shook her head. "I hate this."

"I know you do San. It's either this, or we all get destroyed," Ashitaka said, trying to explain to her.

She wanted to argue, but couldn't. He was right. She didn't want the sacrifice of the Shishi Gami to be in vain though. "We will talk with the Shoujous to see if they will lend us any assistance. I doubt they will be of any help though."

Ashitaka nodded. "Eboshi promised to replant whatever she destroyed. That is why we'll be buying seeds." He stood up and moved towards Yakkul.

"Where are you going?" San asked.

"I've got to head back. The sun has set." He pointed towards the far hills. Sure enough, the sky was quickly changed from a pink-orange color to midnight blue.

"Oh." San stood up as well. She reached up and grabbed the Gyoku no Kodachi that was tied around her neck.

"I'll see you tomorrow night then." He mounted Yakkul and turned towards the village.

"Ashitaka!"

He looked over his shoulder. "Yes, San?"

She kept her head down, concentrating on the feel of the knife. "Come back here, to this spot tomorrow… okay?" She looked up at him.

"Sure," he said. "I'll be here, before the sun sets." Ashitaka smiled, and then he rode off.

"Okay… bye," San whispered to his retreating form. She turned back to her brother.

"Are you okay?"

"No. But I will be tomorrow when I talk to him again." She finally let go of the knife and mounted her brother. They rode away from Tatara Ba, back to the seclusion of their cave.

* * *

* * *

"Lady Eboshi knows that you come here."

"What?" San asked, shocked.

"I went to give her the seeds last night, and after we finished, she asked me a question as I was about to leave her house," Ashitaka explained, keeping his eyes towards the setting sun, though he would look over to San occasionally. She did the same thing.

"What did she ask?"

* * *

"I was wondering, Ashitaka: what do you do up in that tower?" Lady Eboshi asked him.

"Me? I just like to stand guard, and also watch the sun set." It was most of the truth, he realized. No need to tell her everything.

She nodded. "That's what I thought." She stood up and walked over to Ashitaka, although it was a bit clumsy. The loss of her right arm shifted her weight a bit. It would still take some getting used to.

"Is there anything else, milady?"

"Yes," Eboshi said. "I was beginning to wonder what took you so long, so I climbed the tower."

Ashitaka stood there in shock. "You climbed the tower with just one arm?"

"Well, most of it. I had a few of the women help." She laughed at the memory of her struggle to the top. Eboshi composed herself and looked over to the boy. "I guess I don't have to continue, huh?" she asked, smirking.

* * *

"I ended up explaining everything to her."

San nodded slowly. "It was very… careless, of you."

"I didn't expect her curiosity to get the better of her," Ashitaka explained with a shrug. "Anyway, she promised to keep it to herself."

"I don't trust her," came the immediate response. That was followed by a loud sigh coming from Ashitaka.

"I know you don't. She's kept her word so far though, and that's always an improvement." San made no outward emotion. He didn't mind. It would take a lifetime of convincing to make her think otherwise of Lady Eboshi.

"So how did it go with the Shoujous?"

San shook her head. "Horribly. I've never met a more stubborn group of beasts in my life."

"What did they say?"

"'If any human cuts down a single tree, we will attack and destroy them.' Given what they've done to help us so far, I don't think that's a threat they'll back up.'

Ashitaka nodded. "Keep talking to them. If they don't change their minds, then the only thing we have left to convince them with is a demonstration of what we plan to do."

"I still don't like this. I'll do my best though."

"Thank you," he said, keeping his eyes on San. "It means so much to me that you're doing this."

The look on his face made her heart flutter and her stomach turn. Never before had she experienced such an emotion.

'I wonder if this is what love truly feels like,' she thought. She finally stuttered a "you're welcome" before looking away from him completely. Her eyes once again fell upon the Gyoku no Kodachi tied around her neck.

"You like that?"

"Hmm?" The questioned startled her.

"The knife. Do you like it?"

San quickly nodded. "I do. It's the one thing that reminds me of you every day."

"Good. I'm glad you like it." Ashitaka looked in her eyes briefly before looking away, towards the sun. There were dark clouds moving in from the north that threatened to cover it up.

"It's going to rain tonight," San muttered.

"Yeah, it looks like it. Hopefully the clouds hold off until the sun goes down. I'd hate to miss it."

She nodded. They sat there in silence, watching the vast array of colors light up the night sky. After some time, the sun disappeared behind the hills, and it wasn't until then that the clouds finally moved in over the landscape. A bolt of lightning danced in the clouds, followed a few seconds later by a clap of thunder. The storm was close.

"You should get going. I don't think you or your brother would want to get stuck in the rain," Ashitaka stated. The wolf grunted behind him.

"Okay." They both stood up and moved towards their respective rides.

"Hey San."

"Yeah?"

"I'll be here tomorrow again, okay?"

She smiled. "Sure. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay. Night." And he rode off. In the distance, another round of thunder hit, and San and her brother quickly fled into the woods to the safety of their cave.

* * *

* * *

The clatter of rain on the rooftop and the constant banging of thunder kept Ashitaka up longer than he normally were. He sat up on his thin bed and did nothing but stare out at the rain. At times, it was life giving, and at other times, like this, it was a pain and bother.

A flash of lightning revealed the scar on his right hand. It still remained after the death of the Shishi Gami, and while it didn't shrink, it luckily didn't expand.

"Is it because I have no anger in me?" he pondered aloud. His life had been content for the past week or so. The town's people were hardworking and happy despite the troubles they had with rebuilding, and he, of course –

"I have San.

"But I don't have her."

His right arm twitched slightly, but he ignored it. There was nothing to get angry about. It was just the unforeseen circumstances he had to deal with before he got here, and also the circumstances he had to deal with now.

He looked at his hand again. Nothing. No growth.

He sighed. Somehow, he wanted to have the curse again, if only to deal with the threat that everyone knew was coming.

Sleep would eventually come upon him, and he stayed that way until the late morning.

It still rained when he woke up.

And it still rained in the evening, and he couldn't be close to San. His heart was never calmed that day.

* * *

* * *

It took ten days for Jigo to return to Lord Asano's palace in the south of Honshuu. He would have reached it four days, but he had with him dozens of wounded samurai and several of his own secret group wounded. He didn't mind the slow walk, but that was only after the search team from Tatara Ba gave up their hunt for Jigo. For three whole days, he was only a few hours ahead of them. He was constantly moving through the forested areas, keeping away from the main roads so that no one would see where they were headed. Once they turned back though, Jugo managed to slow his pace for the wounded he carried. He maybe a sneak and a deceptive man, but he always had his men in mind. He needed them to recover as quickly as possible anyway.

Both attacks Jigo had launched – the one on Tatara Ba (in the bidding of Lord Asano) and the attack on the Shishi Gami (in the bidding of the emperor) – failed horribly, as he came away with neither prize. One prize still existed, and he knew that, once Asano would find out, he would launch another campaign, sending more samurai than he had originally done.

That's what Jigo would do, of course.

The news of the failure to capture the head of the Shishi Gami wouldn't reach the emperor for another week or so, as the news of the failure would take some time to travel. The only people that knew of these events were his men and the people of Tatara Ba, and they had no reason to go see the emperor. His men had to rest anyway, so no one was made to travel towards the middle of the island.

Of course, by the time the emperor received the news, Jigo and whatever men he had left would simply leave the islands and head west to China. No doubt the emperor would want his head – he needed something to make up for the other head he didn't get – so once business was concluded with Lord Asano, Jigo would leave the palace and travel southwest to a secluded harbor he had set aside (Jigo, being sneaky and deceptive, had this set up for many months, if not years, in advance).

Still, he had to deal with Lord Asano, and even he had no idea how that would go. He might just get a slap on the wrist, or he may end up losing his head before the sun would set.

At least the rain continued. It washed most of the bad travel scent that he picked up the last ten days, but he also hoped that it washed off the stench of failure that now went with him wherever he went.

"Lord Asano!" Jigo said enthusiastically as he entered the lord's presence. "How are you on this fine day?"

"Fine day? It's been raining for two whole days now!" Lord Asano bellowed over the large hallway of his throne room. His voice was extremely loud, and that was complimented with his even bigger girth. Being a local lord, he allowed himself to gain weight to hold a more intimidating presence over his peoples, sometimes to the point where they actually start shaking in their spots. Jigo was an exception: being in the lord's presence many times before, he had grown accustomed to the man's outbursts.

But then, Lord Asano stood up, and that caused a lot of worry within Jigo. Lord Asano, no matter how livid he was, never stood up.

Nor did he ever walk down the stairs from his throne down to the people in his presence.

"I give you one thousand samurai, and you couldn't even capture a small fort? What the hell were you doing there Jigo? Were you in the gambling houses throwing dice with the local whores?"

"My Lord, I can explain the situation." He didn't stutter, but he was still deathly afraid.

Asano laughed. "'Explain the situation?' How do you explain complete and utter failure?" He stepped closer to Jigo.

"It wasn't complete failure, my Lord. There were unforeseen circumstances that prevented the samurai from taking the town."

The lord stopped. "Yes, I heard of these 'unforeseen circumstances'… something about a Didarabocchi walking around without its head? Hah! You make me laugh Jigo!"

"It was for the emperor!" Jigo shouted out of desperation.

"What was for the emperor?" Lord Asano leaned down slightly to hear what Jigo had to say.

"The emperor… he wanted the head of the Shishi Gami, and the only way to obtain it was to remove it when it was transforming into the Didarabocchi." Jigo was sweating – he never got this worried before.

"I see." Asano turned away from Jigo and walked back to his throne. Jigo stood there, making no attempt to speak. He didn't know what would happen to him if he did speak.

"Jigo."

"Yes?" he asked cautiously.

"Where is the head?"

He gulped. "It was returned to the Didarabocchi before dawn. It ended up dying before it returned to its daytime form."

"And what of the town?"

Jigo breathed out. It sounded like Asano was neither mad nor happy. It just wanted information. "It still stands, but it'll take sometime for it to return to operation. Many of the people in the town died because of the samurai and because of the Didarabocchi. Half of them remain from what I saw before I made my escape."

Asano nodded. "Servants! Bring me a map of Honshuu!" Within several moments, four men carried in a table and placed it a few feet from the stairs, while two more men carried a large parchment out. They laid it on the edge of the table and rolled it out, revealing a large, detailed map of Honshuu.

"We will launch two attacks at once," Asano said, quickly getting to the point. "Half of the samurai will attack from the road that leads into Tatara Ba," he said, pointing to the twisting dirt road. He slid his finger over to the left of the town, at the water entrance. "The other half of the samurai will attack from boats. They will be delayed, to let the town's people focus on just the front attack.

"You, Jigo, will assemble the samurai needed for this attack."

He nodded. "How many do you require?" Jigo asked.

"Five thousand."

"Five thousand? I don't know if I can gather that many men from around here."

"Then you must go to all the places on the island to get them!" Asano bellowed.

"Yes, my Lord." He paused. "How long do I have?"

"Twenty days."

Jigo gulped. "Yes, my Lord."

"Good. Now, if you don't have anything else to say, then I advise you to leave now." Asano made his way back to his throne and sat down, disinterest setting in on his face.

"Actually, there was one final thing to mention. There was a boy there."

"A boy? One single boy doesn't concern me."

"This one will though, my Lord," Jigo said, smirking. "I found out from Tatara Ba about this particular boy, and found out something interesting.

"He's an Emishi."

"An Emishi? I thought them to be gone centuries ago," Asano said, a little surprised with this development.

"Apparently, a tribe still exists. He was their last prince."

Asano nodded.

"I ran into him during my travel to Tatara Ba. He came from the north, on his way to the forests west of here, by Tatara Ba. He was cursed, but the Didarabocchi cured him, from what I saw."

"Then he is of no threat to me, Jigo. Your mission remains the same. Return in twenty days, and then we will march on Tatara Ba. They either surrender or die. Do you understand, Jigo?"

"Yes, my Lord."

"Good. Now get out of my sight. This never should have happened in the first place!" Jigo quickly departed. He decided, on his way out, to begin his search for samurai tomorrow.

Asano, meanwhile, walked off of his throne and made his way to the left hallway. He opened a door and stepped in, walking down another hallway before opening a second door. Grey light entered the room, and the smell of rain permeated his senses. He looked down into a courtyard and smiled.

Below the balcony he stood on were nearly two thousand samurai training in the rain. They were part of the force that he had set to march on the capital once he gained the iron making resources of Tatara Ba. Once he acquired those, he would easily be able to march into the emperor's palace and become the ruler of Honshuu.

Asano left the balcony, and retired to his room for the next few hours. His thoughts remained on the Emishi boy, and the last remaining Emishi tribe. Then he came upon a thought.

It was a devilish one. It was perfect.

* * *

To be continued...

* * *

Author's notes: well, this was chapter one. If it sucks, well, sorry. This is my first serious work in nearly seven months (no, I wasn't busy, it's just been a bad year), so my writing is definitely rusty. Hopefully I can get back some consistency in the next few chapters.

Speaking of which, before the next chapter comes out, I'm going to plot out the rest of the story, so I know how much more writing I'll have to do. It won't be that long I think – I'm estimating about ten chapters, maybe less. Should be fun though.

A few things: this is my first story outside of DBZ, so I was definitely limited to what I can do (namely, not dealing with characters more powerful than, well… everything). For the writing, I used a bunch of Japanese spellings. If they turn out wrong, then I point you to where I obtained them: www(dot)nausicaa(dot)com(slash)miyazaki(slash)mh(slash). Click on "Story", and then click on "Character Guide". No pre-read was done, save for my own. Expect mistakes, if there are any.

As always, read and review. Direct comments can be sent to shaggydizbot101( sign)Comcast(dot)net.


	2. Truth Deceit

Disclaimer: see chapter one.

* * *

Night of a Thousand Horses

By ShaggyDiz

Chapter Two: Truth/Deceit

* * *

The rain finally stopped the following day, and although the skies were still overcast, it did not deter Ashitaka from his mission for today. He, along with Lady Eboshi and Gonza, had decided, once the rain stopped or let up, they would travel to the towns to buy seeds. It didn't matter if it started raining again while they were in those towns. It'd be safer there than having to travel through the muddy roads while it was raining. They still had to worry about them without the rain, but at least the danger of travel was lessened slightly. 

It took about half the day to arrive on horse back to the closest merchant town. Business had been slowed considerably during the last few days of rain, though there were still quite a few people milling around several of the better shops. Still, walking on the road was easy enough.

Ashitaka led them to the northeastern part of the town, to the first merchant who had a vast amount of tree seeds. The man there was well established, with a decent sized storage facility that held a wide variety of seeds and other planting materials. Ashitaka remembered the man being quite friendly and comfortable to be around with, and his own appearance didn't make the man weary of anything from his past.

"Good day sir," he said to the merchant.

The man looked up and smiled. "Ah, it's the boy from the other day. How are you doing?"

"Just fine sir." He stepped to the side, allowing the merchant to see his companions. "These are the people I mentioned from before," Ashitaka explained, introducing Eboshi and Gonza to the merchant.

"A pleasure to meet you, Lady Eboshi."

She bowed slightly. "Ashitaka told me that you have some of the best seeds produced in this town. Is that true?"

The merchant smiled. "I would like to think so. Would you like to see what I have?" Eboshi nodded, and the three of them followed the merchant into his shop. He explained to them in heavy detail about the quality and quantity of the seeds that he had. Eboshi was impressed with his explanations.

"How many seeds do I need to cover an area the size of this town?" she asked.

"How many?" The merchant seemed slightly puzzled by this request. "That's a lot of seeds were talking about here. I would guess… at least two or three of these barrels, filled to capacity, to cover an area that big."

Eboshi nodded. "I'll take four."

"Four barrels?"

"Yes. I need four barrels."

The merchant hesitantly nodded. "Do you have any means of transporting them?"

"Not until two days from now, if it doesn't rain again. We have to travel through a narrow valley road to get to where we are, and the roads are still hard to travel on. In two days time though, I will have several cows with me and several more men to complete the transaction."

"Very well." The merchant held his hand out, pointing towards the front of the storehouse.

"When do you want me to pay?" Eboshi asked as they came back to the front.

"Half now, and half later. I don't want you dropping out of any sort of deal."

She smirked. "Of course. I understand perfectly. Gonza, grab him several pouches, if you will." Gonza left for the horses, and returned several moments later, holding three small packs of gold.

"Will this be enough for now?" she asked.

"More than enough." The merchant's eyes lit up as soon as he saw the gold sitting on his table. Not forgetting his manners, he bowed to his costumers. "Take care, and thank you for your business."

The three of them bowed as well, and then they were off.

"He was pleasant," Eboshi told Ashitaka. "A good businessman… a rarity in these times."

"I knew you would have liked him. He was the only trustworthy one. He didn't hide anything from me."

"I can tell." They walked along with their horses, stopping towards the middle of town to a small food stand. It was decided that they would rest here for the time being before returning back to Tatara Ba.

"Gonza! Is that your nodachi that you brought with you?" Eboshi asked. The two of them looked at the samurai guard, and all three of them turned to his horse, staring at a large sack that was stretched to fill out the bent remains of the massive sword.

"It is, milady," he told her.

"You can take it to the blacksmith if you want. We'll be a little while longer anyway." He murmured his thanks before getting up and grabbing the sack.

Eboshi waited until Gonza was a fair distance away before turning back to Ashitaka. "I seriously hope this works."

All he could do was nod.

"I nearly failed once. I let my greed get to my head, and it nearly cost the people of my town their lives." She paused, running her hand along the length of her robe. "How do you do it?"

Ashitaka was taken aback slightly by the question. He collected his thoughts, trying to find a way to answer the question. "Its how I was brought up," he said. "I was going to be the prince of the last surviving Emishi village…"

"What is it?" she asked after he trailed off.

"No one knows of the existence of this village," he whispered. "I don't want them to be found." Eboshi nodded, and encouraged him to continue. "I had to show no fear, and no greed, and no carelessness in what I was doing. I was ready too."

And then his clenched his fist. It twitched slightly.

"I'm sorry," Eboshi whispered lightly. Ashitaka barely heard the apology.

"I won't hold it against you. You paid for your sins with your arm."

She smiled. "I know I have, but I don't think I've been entirely forgiven. I still have to protect my town again."

"It'll be tough. I don't know how much help I can provide this time. I'm not as strong as I once was."

She shook her head. "You have courage. You keep that, and everyone – including myself, and Gonza – will follow you till the end.

"And you have the mononoke too."

Ashitaka frowned at the mention of her name.

"What's wrong?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. I just… I just want to be with her. But I can't."

Eboshi nodded. "It's tough, being from two different worlds. She loves you though, and I would think she'd go with you to any place on this earth." She leaned in close and whispered: "I'll make sure you two are happy."

Ashitaka looked over at her, and the only thing he could do was smile. It was slight, but it was enough to change his mood. But there was a nagging doubt in the back of his head:

He doubted those words would come true.

* * *

Jigo made his way towards the south, making good time towards his escape route in the southwest. He made sure to keep Asano's guards off his back as he went south, constantly telling them that he was doing his search for the samurai, all the while heading towards his docks in the most secretive way possible. 

As the afternoon slowly turned into evening, Jigo told the troops watching him that he needed to stop for the evening and rest his wary legs. His complaint was simple: "I'm an old man. I need my rest."

The guards bought it easily.

Two hours past, and as the sun finally fell beneath the trees; the last of the guards fell asleep. Jigo quickly packed and made his move. His goal was to make it to the dock by the early morning hours, and by the time the guards noticed his escape, Jigo would already be out to sea, on his way to China and freedom.

* * *

"Any luck today?" 

"None. They're as stubborn as ever."

"Then we'll have to show them our intentions." Ashitaka stretched himself before lying back on the ground. It had been a long day.

San looked over to him. "I still – "

" – don't like this. I know you know." He looked over to her and smiled. "You've said that every day now that we've mentioned this."

"I know. And I'll keep saying it until it's finally over." San stretched a bit, but opted to remain sitting.

Ashitaka didn't mind. "I'm sorry."

"What for?"

"I broke my promise the other night."

"It's all right. It was raining."

"I know, but…"

"Hmm?"

"I couldn't fall asleep that night, San. I couldn't sleep last night either."

She didn't like the tone of his voice. It was thick with sorrow.

It shouldn't be that way.

"We're here now, you know."

"… Yeah, we are." He turned his head, looking at her. San looked his way briefly – smiling as she did – before turning back and looking at the starry night sky.

"You shouldn't be sad, Ashitaka. We're here, together. We should be happy." She looked back at him.

"And what are you? Happy or sad?"

"I'm happy," San whispered. "I'm glad to be here with you."

For a moment, Ashitaka allowed his sorrow to go away. He found he liked it, and allowed himself to smile.

It was real.

"Lie down with me."

"What?" San barely got that out. The statement froze her.

"I know you don't like the contact, but I think… I think it'll benefit us both… somehow."

For a minute, she remained, looking out towards the horizon. She looked over at him though, and slowly, she slid over until she was as close to him as possible without actually touching him before lying down, keeping her eyes towards the sky.

And somehow, being this much closer to him brought a greater sense of relief over herself.

"I… like this…"

Ashitaka smiled.

They stayed that way for the remainder of the evening.

* * *

The smell of the ocean permeated through Jigo's senses. He was almost at his destination. It took the entire night, but he had made it. 

There was no one to elude, no one to hide from. It was an easy escape. He sometimes wished all of them were like that. But this one, the one that guaranteed his life, was the easiest of them all.

All Jigo had left to do was to make his way through the small copse of trees that led to the beach and he would be free.

"Ohayo, Jigo." He froze. He recognized the voice.

"Kuro…tawa…?"

"Ah, so you do remember me, Jigo. How long has it been since you last deceived me?" Slowly, he came out from his hiding spot, which was one of the boats along the dock.

"Deceived you? Wasn't it the other way around?"

Kurotawa smirked. "Honestly, I can't remember. We're both alike, you and I. We each deceive everyone we meet, and in the end, we reap in the benefits of their self-doubt. Am I right, dear old Jigo?"

"What do you want, Kurotawa?" Jigo asked. "And make this quick. I have places I must be at."

"Ah, yes. If you haven't already heard, I've come into the services of one Lord Asano not too long ago, and his mission to me for this week was simple: make sure Jigo doesn't escape.

"And here I am, making sure you don't escape."

Jigo nodded. He already knew of Kurotawa working for Asano. He expected him to be further north though. He would be more useful for the one mission Asano had rumored about two days ago.

Of course, while he thought of this, he was also trying to find the best possible way to escape from Kurotawa. He had a definite speed advantage, and so he could just possible outrun Kurotawa until he reached a boat that would easily get him into sea. Running would be the best option too: Jigo saw that there was only a katana that was strapped to his side. He knew of the man's strength, but he doubted that he would be able to throw a katana into the back of Jigo.

But then Jigo noticed something else. Kurotawa was much to calm to be facing him one on one. What if…

"Ah, so you finally realize it, huh Jigo? Your eyes dance too much. Trying to find a way to get by me was expected. Hell, a lot of people can nowadays.

"But I doubt even you would be able to outrun ten men wielding Ishibiya!" As he said this, all ten men revealed themselves. Most came from the boats along the dock while a few of them made their presence known from the trees.

Jigo nodded. "Tell me one thing before you decide to execute me: how did you know of this place? I don't think I ever told you about it."

Kurotawa smirked. "You didn't. However, you're not as secretive as you make yourself out to be."

"I see." With that, Jigo took off to the right, hoping to evade all of the gunners. He knew all ten would take their shots at once, and if he missed them all, it would take them several long moments to reload them. By then, he would have found a ship and hid on it.

What he didn't expect was the simple order for all of them to fire at him the moment he made even the slightest movement. Ten shots rang off at once, and most of them missed. He was quick enough to take at least two steps away so that the shots flew right past him.

Two shots hit him though, and both proved to be fatal. The first one was taken from a man on a boat, and his shot hit Jigo in the arm, and it went through to his ribcage, completely throwing him off guard. The gunner himself purposely shot in that direction.

The second shot reached him a split second after the first one, entering the upper right side of his head. It quickly exited near the neck, and Jigo quickly fell over. He died before he fell to the ground.

Kurotawa walked up to the corpse and kicked it lightly, checking for any movement. "He's dead. Let's go." The gunmen quickly left the beach, making their way through the woods to the main road.

Only Kurotawa remained behind, but only briefly. He looked down at his dead partner and thought for one last time that it was he who had made the final deception.

He walked away, leaving Jigo's body to rot on the beach.

* * *

Three days past. Asano stood at the top of a hill in the northern part of the island, looking down at a small village long thought of to be hidden by the world. His spies ended that, finding the village the day after Jigo was taken care of. Word reached his caravan a day later, and on the third day, Asano found himself where he was at now. 

"So this is the last Emishi village?" he asked.

"Yes, my Lord," a subordinate quickly answered.

"Are the samurai ready?"

"Just about, my Lord. They're gearing up now."

"Good." He looked down again and smirked. Behind him were five hundred samurai, all of who were ready to go into battle.

It would be swift, that he knew. The village was practically defenseless. Destroying it served no purpose, other than showing the people of Honshuu that Asano was not to be toyed with.

No one would know either, but it didn't matter. All Asano wanted to do was to ensure that he would be successful in the coming battles.

Nothing else matter, not even a village of peaceful people.

Or a boy that would let his rage be known.

* * *

Old Author's notes (yes, there will be two): yes, I know it's shorter than the previous chapter. And I know it sucks too. I had to get this done though, simply because I wanted to write something. I'm being cursed with NWFMS, or "Nothing Works For Me Syndrome". Its scientific purpose is that it prevents me from logging onto my laptop properly, and also to prevent me from using the main computer properly. 

Oh how I love this.

Jigo, oh how we'll miss him. No point in having him around, really. He was going to die eventually. I don't like having to write with so many characters though. Yes, I know I'm only dealing with a half dozen at best, but I'd like to have a tight story with a few characters.

As for Kurotawa… yeah, I suck at making new characters. Just think of him that used to work for Jigo in that secret group of people he worked with. The name, by the way, was from Miyazaki's "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind", which I still need four volumes of the manga to complete the book.

As for the next chapter, I'll try and get the next one out soon. And I'll make sure it's better than this one. There were a few things I wanted in here that I didn't get (namely the encounter between Tatara Ba and the Shoujous), so that'll show up. Don't hold me to it though. Just depends on how things are here.

No pre-reader, as usual. Someday I'll be able to afford one. Read and review, if you please. Oh, and thanks for the reviews too. I didn't expect as many as I got. Domo arigato.

* * *

New AN: Um… crap. I wrote this thing probably back in October or November, and then decided that I wanted to redo it a bit before posting. Lo and behold, I barely touched it until now. And all I really wanted to do with it was just make it flow better. There were a few corrections, and that's it. 

I know. That's really bad for something that should have come out ten months ago. My apologies.

The notes above were originally written at the completion of this chapter, and they serve their purpose. Hopefully I can get back into the swing of things, since this is the second thing I'm posting here in a week.

So for now, I hope to get cracking on chapter three soon. Yes, soon. And don't worry; I do plan on having it out in less than a year this time.

Shameless advertising: I have a fiction specific live journal. shaggydiz­­fic is the name of it. All my stuffs will eventually make it there, I hope.


	3. Rise Fall

Disclaimer: see chapter one.

* * *

Night of a Thousand Horses

By ShaggyDiz

Chapter Three: Rise/Fall

* * *

Ashitaka stood at the top of the hill, looking into the forests for the Shoujous. He had two of the four barrels of seeds that they purchased half a week ago, along with Lady Eboshi – who felt it prudent to come with the young man on this task – and Gonza – whose nodachi had been fixed when they returned to pick up the seeds. There were several of the women and men from Tatara Ba who had assisted with the carrying of the barrels up the hill, but they had retreated back down to the safety of the town gate. A short distance away, on the other side of the hill, stood San and her brother. Both were wary of being close to so many humans at any given time, despite Ashitaka's assurances that nothing would happen to them. They felt safe at this distance.

San was content tonight with just seeing Ashitaka anyway. Tonight, they had important business.

They waited nearly forty minutes before the trees started swaying more heavily than before, and the leaves began to whisper the arrival of the Shoujous. It seemed to the people gathered that the apes were coming from all around them, but instead were only coming from one spot of the forest. Gonza reached his hand up and took hold of the handle, ready to pull his mighty nodachi from its sheath. Both Ashitaka and Lady Eboshi raised a hand to desist him from doing so. Ashitaka had explained to them that the Shoujous were more interested in hiding and posing empty threats to anyone who they deemed untrustworthy.

"Go away human… you are not welcomed here," spoke a voice from the trees. They saw were it came from, but they couldn't see any of the Shoujou beasts that were hiding within the trees.

"Kind Shoujou, I ask an audience of you. I have something that we should discuss," Ashitaka said. There was a nagging feeling sitting in the back of his head that the apes wouldn't listen. He remained patient as they spoke again.

"No… no audience with you, human… harbingers of destruction to these forests… you wish to do so again."

"We wish to rebuild, but we can't do it without taking some trees. But we have a solution for you to consider, kind Shoujou. We have seeds here, seeds for planting trees. This is merely half of what we have, and we shall get more if we need to. We don't plan on taking much, and what we take, we shall start growing them again."

Ashitaka remained still as he finished speaking. The trees had become quiet for a moment. He was beginning to wonder if the apes had left. The wind picked up some, and as the leaves swayed in the breeze, he finally saw the brightly colored eyes of the Shoujous.

"No… you use our trees to start your furnaces… the human at your side, she is the cause of our lament."

"I have no intention of starting again," Lady Eboshi said, stepping forward to address them further. "I have paid the price for my deceptive and destructive ways, and I wish to bring no further harm to your forest. We wish to rebuild, like Ashitaka has told you." She pointed back to the seeds. "This is our peace offering. Please consider it."

Lady Eboshi moved back next to Ashitaka. "Do you honestly expect them to take this offer?" she whispered into his ear.

"I hope so. I don't think they will. We might have to give a demonstration." He looked over to San. Her face remained expressionless. 'What does she think we should do?' he asked himself.

"No… no peace offering… take your seeds and go… anyone found cutting trees will be killed." Moments later, the trees went silent. The Shoujous had left.

"What now?" Lady Eboshi asked.

"We try again tomorrow. And we keep doing it until they finally change their minds. If we need to, we'll show them an example of our good will."

"Very well. Gonza," she turned to address him. "Get the people at the gate to grab the seeds. We'll try again tomorrow."

"Yes milady." And he was off.

"I'm going to retire for the night. Do what you will until then." Ashitaka bowed to the departing Eboshi. He looked after her, a frown setting on his face. There was a hint of defeat and despair in her voice. It was all they could do for now.

He looked back on the other side of the hill. San was approaching, with her brother keeping his distance. Ashitaka tipped his head in acknowledge to the wolf before turning towards San.

"Was this your expected result?" she asked him.

"Yes… and no. I figured that they would remain stubborn, but I was hoping that showing the seeds would at least convince them otherwise. We'll be back tomorrow to try again."

San nodded. "I still don't like this."

"That's fine." He was about to argue with her about her continued insistence of not liking this situation, but he decided it would be wise not to. The day had been long, and waiting for the Shoujous had run on their patience.

"Go home and get some sleep," San told him. She saw the weariness in his eyes.

Ashitaka nodded. "I will. I shall see you tomorrow." He smiled at her before turning away, slowly walking down the hill towards the gate of Tatara Ba.

San watched every step until he disappeared within the walls of the town. She turned towards her brother, who had walked up behind her. She said no words to him, but instead pulled herself onto his back and gently rubbed his side. Together they rode off into the forest.

* * *

The next night they tried again, with no success. Ashitaka wanted to try words again instead of actions, and found that it proved fruitless. His right hand twitched in anger at the expected result. He didn't like it at all.

* * *

Ashitaka stood at the forest line. In his hand he held a pouch, filled with the seeds for planting. Tonight, he decided, would be the time to convince the Shoujous that their intentions were good. Behind him on his right were Lady Eboshi and Gonza, with one barrel of seeds this time. On the left were San and her brother. They came to watch, and to assist Ashitaka if he were to suddenly come under attack by the apes.

He called out to the Shoujous and waited.

He didn't have to wait long. "What is it human… why do you continue pestering us?"

Ashitaka held up his hand. "I intend to demonstrate my goodwill towards you." He waited a few moments to make sure the burning eyes of the beasts saw what he held before he squatted down. He dug aside some dirt, making the hole several inches deep, before reaching into the bag and pulling out a handful of seeds. Ashitaka dropped them into the hole and covered it up. Moving several feet away, he repeated the process.

"For every tree we take from you Shoujous, we shall plant two more in their place. We have many seeds for this, so your forest will always remain beautiful and strong."

For several minutes, the trees went silent. Ashitaka and the others took this as a sign that they were discussing amongst themselves the proposition that he had offered them. It was simple enough, and with time, the forest would be renewed with a greater vigor than before. It was his wish to make sure that the forest continued surviving while allowing the people of Tatara Ba to live peacefully.

"No." The single deafening word brought Ashitaka back to reality.

"What?"

"Your act of goodwill is meaningless to us human. Any attempts to take our trees, or to plant any more of your seeds will result in your deaths."

The trees went silent once again.

Ashitaka stared into the trees, confused at first, but the confusion slowly drifted into anger. His right hand twitched violently. "Stupid, cowardly apes," he muttered to himself. A voice called for him, but he did not care. The Shoujous, the stubborn Shoujous had clouded his mind, and there was nothing he wanted to do besides to go and shake every single one of them to their senses. This was good for everyone involved, but the stupid and stubborn apes had given their answer.

A hand came upon his shoulder, and as he turned to see who was unfortunate enough to risk their life for touching him, all of his anger dissipated. "San," he whispered. He came fully around and pulled her into his arms. "The stupid Shoujous… why won't they listen?"

San stood frozen, not knowing what to do at the sudden intimate contact. She glanced briefly towards her brother, who was inching forward, snarling as he did. She mouthed the word "no", and turned back to Ashitaka. Slowly, she brought her arms up around his waist and held him. Her brother took a step back, but still glared at Ashitaka.

"San, why won't they listen to reason? I've showed them my good intentions, and they brush it aside like it's nothing!"

"They're fearful of what'll happen. It's the same fears that I have, but I'm slowly beginning to understand what you are trying to do for these people." She pulled back so she could look at his face. "I will try talking to them again. And you will continue to demonstrate to them that you will rebuild the forest. Eventually they'll come around."

"And if they don't?" he asked.

"Then we'll think of a new idea," she answered him. San stepped out of his embrace and began walking back to her brother. "Get some sleep."

He nodded at her retreating form. Ashitaka walked back to Lady Eboshi and Gonza. "Come on. We'll try again tomorrow." They took the barrel and walked back towards the gate.

San watched them from the top of the hill. "Are you all right, San?" her brother asked her.

"I will be. I didn't know what to do. I never expected that kind of embrace from him." She looked into the forests, not seeing any of the Shoujous, but knowing that they were still there. Were they toying with Ashitaka? She had hoped that seeing this would cause them to change their minds – it had almost completely convinced her – but that's what they were: stubborn.

"We shall return tomorrow brother. Let's go home."

Together they rode off. Neither of them saw the sight that started at the edge of the forest.

* * *

The sun burned hot the next day, further adding to Ashitaka's agitation. He felt more uncomfortable than ever. The events from last night continued to play out in his head, and for the first time that he could remember, he was on the verge of giving up. The Shoujous were relentless in telling him and the others that taking and rebuilding was out of the question. He sighed in discontent: tonight was another try.

Ashitaka brought his hand up to look at it. The scarring on it remained the same, and the pain he felt from last night had gone away. "Good," he said to himself. It was a sense of relief that nothing bad happened to his hand. He was beginning to wonder though, why was it hurting whenever he felt anger? Was this the after effects of the curse brought upon him? The Shishi Gami had removed it from him once he died and restored the forest. Ashitaka shook his head. He was a persistent man, not angry. That's what he would do. He would continue going to the Shoujous until they saw reason, that what he was doing for the town was good for them and what they had planned for the forest was good for it as well.

He came out of his home and witnessed a commotion at the wall of the town. There were many of the town's people milling about, all of them looking up at the top of the watch tower where several others were. Lady Eboshi was up there, from what he saw, plus a few other people as well. He couldn't see Gonza.

Ashitaka walked across to the crowd that had gathered. "What's going on?" he asked anyone that could hear.

"Ashitaka, it's you! Quick, let him through to the top!" As the people turned and saw it was him, a pathway opened, allowing Ashitaka to pass through to the ladder. He climbed to the tower, and found himself next to Eboshi.

"What's the commotion about?" he asked her.

She smiled. "See for yourself." She pointed out with her one hand, towards where they had gone to plant the seeds last night. The sight completely amazed Ashitaka. The two places where he had planted seeds at had mysteriously sprouted trees overnight, easily already ten feet in height, and their trunks already almost touching. Branches were flowing outward, some thick and some thin, with leaves already sprouting from them. What startled Ashitaka the most was how unbelievable hot it was, and also the fact that they haven't had rain for nearly a week.

"Do you have any idea why this happened?" he asked Eboshi.

"I have one thought that you might be possibly considering as well."

"The Shishi Gami?"

She nodded. "Go get San. She would know for sure."

"Okay." Ashitaka took off, taking Yakkul with him into the forests in search of San.

* * *

San confirmed what was thought an hour later as she and Ashitaka arrived at the new trees, growing another foot in that time span. The leaves had become greener, and the branches continued to expand and intertwine with one another. The two walked up to the trees, and San knelt down to touch the ground.

"It is the Shishi Gami."

Ashitaka nodded. "So what shall we do?"

"Start planting some more," she said to him. "I'll go and talk to the Shoujous again, and if this doesn't convince them, then I won't know what to do."

"They'll be convinced. If their main worry was the trees taking forever to grow back, then they don't have to worry at all. We have to watch these trees to see how long they'll take to get to the full height as the other trees, but looking at how fast these two are growing, we can have a full forest in less than a week!"

San smiled, though very hesitantly. She didn't like how that statement sounded to her. "Promise me you won't cut down all of the trees."

Ashitaka looked at her. "What? Of course, San. That was the intention all along. We cut what we need, and replant those that were cut. I'll make sure Eboshi doesn't restart the furnace again. You just make sure the Shoujous are on our side."

"Very well. I will be very displeased if you go against your word." She gave him one last look, and then she turned away and started back to her brother. In short time, they were off, into the woods.

"That didn't sound very good." Ashitaka turned around: Lady Eboshi was standing there at the crest of the hill.

"She still seems distrustful of this plan. Can you promise me –"

"I've already done so!" she shouted, cutting him off.

"You have, I'm sorry. At least make the promise to her. If she hears it from you, then maybe she'll be more at ease, and maybe more trusting."

Lady Eboshi made no reply. She turned and started back down the hill. Ashitaka looked after her for a moment, and then went and grabbed Yakkul.

"Ashitaka!" Eboshi yelled up to him. He gave her a questioning glance. "I'll promise it to her if she promises not to kill me in my sleep." It was obvious that she wasn't joking.

"I'll talk to her then. Don't expect her to completely change overnight." Eboshi contemplated his words for a moment, and then turned and continued back to Tatara Ba.

And Ashitaka stood alone, shaking his head in discontent. Oh how he wished things to be easier than they were. There was a feeling deep down that things were about to get more difficult for him.

* * *

At least, for the time being, some things progressed smoothly.

The Shoujous agreed to the plan after some heavy convincing by San, Ashitaka and Lady Eboshi, and after the trees grew another six feet that day. The growth of the trees slowed down after it got to sixty feet a couple days later, which they thought was due to the essence of the Shishi Gami not reaching as far as it once did. Two days after that, it reached eighty feet, and still showed signs of growing. Four other trees that were planted reached over forty feet in height. With that in mind, Lady Eboshi decided it was time to start rebuilding.

A week after the first trees were planted, the people of Tatara Ba had brought down around thirty trees, roots and all. True to their word, they replanted that amount, and then some. The main bulk of the tree was used in refortifying the walls of the town, while the excess, like the branches and roots, were set aside for other projects, one of which included making bows and arrows. Some of the women took to wood making hobbies, like fruit baskets and chairs and tables.

For that week, things were so busy in the town that Ashitaka had completely forgotten about his nightly meetings with San. They met during the day at times, but it had been too long since their last intimate meeting together. He realized this and asked her to meet with him tonight, which she obliged to.

As the sun fell behind the trees, Ashitaka laid on the grass by the trees that they planted a week ago, staring up into the pink and orange sky. A short time later, San joined him, making a quiet thump on the ground as she sat there, and then eventually she lay down, keeping a few feet of space between herself and Ashitaka.

"Look up there," he said, pointing to a cloud formation.

"What is it?"

Ashitaka studied it for a moment. "It looks like a horse."

San looked at it as well. Sure enough, there was a large cloud set as a body, with thin, wispy extensions that were meant to be legs. Another part of the cloud lumped out to form the neck and head. It was a weird looking horse, but one nonetheless. "It's very interesting," she said after a few moments.

"It's like the horse is riding up to the gods." He stared at it for quite some time, content with everything that was around him. The breeze was comfortable, cooling him down after another hot day. The grass was soft beneath him, despite the fact that it hadn't rained in over a week. And San…

He turned onto his side and looked over to San. He found her imitating his staring of the clouds. She barely blinked as she did so, and Ashitaka found himself staring into her eyes. The last of the day and the cloud reflected in her eyes, mimicking a tranquil mountain lake. He found her quite beautiful at this moment.

"I wonder if everyday could be like this," she said as she continued looking up into the sky. "That we could just lay here and be free."

"Like the horse?" he asked.

She nodded. "The horse is free up there. It can run where it wants to run, and if it gets stuck, it can change into something else. It isn't limited to things like we are." She turned her head to look at him. She had felt his stare for a few minutes now.

"It would be nice to be free like that San. We could live like we wanted to, with no bounds and restrictions."

"Someday it will be. We have our fears and difficulties to face everyday until we do though, and it'll be well worth it in the end." She smiled at him and turned to look at the sky again. Ashitaka did the same.

They remained that way for some time, neither of them knowing for how long. They nearly drifted off to sleep, but eventually they realized where they were. By then, the gap of grass between them was nearly reduced to nothing. There was no embarrassment though; instead, they merely got up, embraced each other for the first time since the week before, and walked away from each other, back to their respective homes.

Unfortunately, they would be free like this just one more time.

* * *

The following day, Ashitaka and Gonza rode out to the town where they purchased their seeds. They decided to buy some string for their makeshift bows, and if possible, some arrowheads as well. There were already plans on sharpening the points of the arrows enough so that they could penetrate skin, but with arrowheads, the possibility of penetrating armor increases. If there weren't any in the town, Ashitaka would inquire about getting some sort of delivery sent to them. The string was the primary concern though, and they believed that the merchant town would be able to provide plenty of it.

They arrived at the town around the early part of the afternoon, before the sun reached the highest point in the sky. Clouds had started moving into the area, and there were murmurings that there would be rain for the first time in many days. Ashitaka wanted to be quick about the trip as a result, and hopefully return before the rain started. The dirt roads they would have to take back would nearly be impassable. That was his biggest worry as the two of them moved into town, eventually finding the man who had sold them the seeds.

A brief discussion revealed them the location of a couple merchants who sold arrow string, both at affordable prices. The pair thanked the merchant, and moved on towards the first string seller. As they came close to the small hut of the dealer, there was a small group gathered around a somewhat large tan tent. Ashitaka pulled over to the group and listened briefly to their conversation, learning about a boy that wandered into the village on a horse two days prior. Apparently he had been found with an arrow sticking out of his back, and was lucky enough to get as far as he did alive. Ashitaka also learned that the local doctor had been successful in removing the arrow, but the boy remained unconscious since then.

"Gonza, hold up a moment," he called over to Eboshi's top defender.

"What is it?"

Ashitaka pointed over to the tent. "I wish to learn more about what happened here. Go and buy the strings, and I'll meet you there shortly."

Gonza gave a slight nod and moved on. Ashitaka dismounted from Yakkul and tied him to a post before coming up to the group. "May I come through here and see the boy? I wish to see how he is doing." The group moved aside, allowing Ashitaka to pass through. They continued taking amongst themselves.

Inside the tent, Ashitaka saw a couple of women attending to the boy in the bed. They were the only ones inside the tent. He came forward to the bed. "How is he?" he asked.

"The doctor is worried that he lost too much blood," the nurse responded. "Hopefully he'll awake in a few days. Do you know him?"

"Let me see." Ashitaka came up to the bed and stared at the boy. He was confused for a moment at first, wondering where this boy had come from. The boy, no older than eleven or twelve years, seemed very recognizable to Ashitaka. His skin was lightly colored, much like his was and the hair… the way it was tied back…

"No…"

And suddenly, Ashitaka knew who it was. The name couldn't come back to him, for he had been away for so long, and had forgotten all about it, ever since his "death". But this boy, he knew who he was.

"What is it?" the one nurse asked him.

Ashitaka kept his eyes on the boy as he spoke. "The village that I came from… this boy; he is the grandson of one of the elders. I can't remember his name, but I know who he is. Did he say anything before he passed out?"

The nurse thought it over for a moment. "I don't know. I can't really remember."

"I know!" The other nurse came forward, speaking for the first time. "The doctor said he mentioned 'samurai'… and there was one other word. I think it was 'ambush'."

Ashitaka nodded. He turned to leave, to go find Gonza and tell him about this. As he reached the entrance, he turned back towards the nurses. "I wish to take him with me, if that's fine. We have nurses at Tatara Ba that can watch over him."

They nodded, and one of them said they would go inform the doctor.

And Ashitaka was off, with many different thoughts running through his head.

He settled on the worst one: who would attack the Emishi?

* * *

Ashitaka and Gonza returned by late afternoon, when the rains started. They brought the boy with them, held securely by Ashitaka when they came back. They immediately took the boy to the hut for the nurses to tend to him. It was then that the boy mumbled something unintelligible in his sleep.

"This is a good sign. He may be coming to," one of the women said to Ashitaka. "Go get some rest, and we'll get you when he wakes."

He went off, keeping to himself as he tried to gather his thoughts. He stopped at his home and lay down in bed, allowing himself to get a few moments of sleep. An hour later, Lady Eboshi knocked on his door. Ashitaka woke up and greeted her.

"Good news," she said with a smile, "the boy is awake."

The two quickly arrived at the nurse's hut and found the boy in bed, barely awake but his eyes slowly taking in everything. He tried to speak, but couldn't. "Quick, some water," someone said, and in short time, the boy was drinking in small gulps, slowly replenishing his strength. There was some fruit that had been set aside for him, and the boy nodded his thanks.

Ashitaka came forward to the bed, and immediately the boy recognized him. His eyes were full of relief, and also of sadness. "Prince Ashitaka," he whispered, his voice slowly coming back to him. "The village was destroyed."

"By whom?" he asked. The anger was slowly building within him.

"I did not see… though my mother and… and grandmother told me before they… sent me off." The boy coughed deeply, and more water was brought to him. "Some families manage to send their children out… but I don't know how many, if… if any of them survived."

"What did your mother say?"

"She said… samurai were attacking… burning the village. Grandma said… she said she heard one of them shout… they shouted: 'Long live Lord… Asano, future ruler of Honshuu.'" The boy took another drink of water.

"Thank you."

And Ashitaka left.

And the anger in his right arm reappeared.

* * *

"Report."

"They found him, my Lord."

"Where?"

"A merchant town, close to Tatara Ba. He took the wounded boy with him," the spy said. "They were quick on their beasts, and unfortunately they weren't unable to capture or kill him or Lady Eboshi's man as well."

Lord Asano smiled. "That's fine. You may go." The spy bowed and disappeared out of the room. Asano sat by himself, imagining the look of grief and anger on the face of the Emishi boy when he learns of the fate of his home. The boy still hardly concerned him, but he knew now that this made him all the more useless. He would grieve and be saddened, and by the time he recovered, it would be too late.

In ten days, the five thousand samurai of Lord Asano would descend upon Tatara Ba. The iron furnaces would be his, and the Ishibiya would return to destroy the emperor.

Everything was going exactly the way he wanted.

* * *

Author's notes: um… crap.

That was the way I started my last A/N, back in September of 2005. It is now May of 2007, a full twenty months since the last update. So what have I done since then to cause me not to update anything?

Well, I dabbled a little in actual fiction, writing out a few ideas, and actually doing a JaNoWrMo for 2007 (I ended up with the 50,000 word goal). School has taken up a whole lot of my time as well, though I'm glad to say that I'm doing much better now that I had been four years ago at this time at my first college.

Ah, and I fell in love too.

So the future of this story? I plan on completing it, hopefully before school starts at the end of August. Unfortunately, I have two summer classes to take that will consume most of my time through the end of June, so writing time is limited. Once July comes around though, then I'll get back to writing full time. I intend on finishing a story for once, and for the few loyal fans I have, it will be this one.

I do ask one thing: review for the actual content of the story, instead of leaving me comments of "why'd you take so long fool?" Granted, you can do those, but add something as well. Like it or don't like it, that's fine. Critique me as well, since I sure could use the occasional writing tidbit.

Also, for the couple of reviews that I got for my Japanese words, I'll put something together for next chapter. It is a preference of mine, I suppose. I'd rather not put off people because of my apparent "childish"-ness, so I shall do this.

Pre-reads done by myself, so expect mistakes, if any.


	4. Hope Despair

Disclaimer: see chapter one.

* * *

Night of a Thousand Horses

By ShaggyDiz

Chapter Four: Hope/Despair

* * *

"Gonza, we need to discuss this situation about Lord Asano," Lady Eboshi said, sitting in her seat within her home, leaning on the chair with her one arm. Gonza was the only person present with her at this late hour meeting. They had planned to include Ashitaka, but given that he was still distraught over the destruction of the Emishi people, the pair found it best to leave him be for the time being to recover. He went to his home shortly after he left the boy, and the people who were sent to watch over him haven't seen him leave at all.

It made Eboshi wonder why he hadn't gone to see the mononoke. Normally, in these instances, Ashitaka would run off to find her, given their unique bond and relationship. Only San could possibly help him. An idea came to her head, but she put it aside for the time being, as Gonza started speaking.

"If what the boy said was true, we could be expecting another attack against the town. I have a feeling that this one will be worse than the last attack," he said to her.

"I know. We must have hope though. We need to get this town rebuilt as quickly as possible, and to get these people trained in new weapons as quickly as possible. We don't have the luxury of our Ishibaya this time."

"Arrow and sword, milady. That is what we'll need to defeat this new threat."

Eboshi nodded. They both knew that time was short for them. Tatara Ba was less than half way rebuilt, and they would need to double their efforts to finish the job. Even now, she was speculating a possible visit with the Shoujous for more lumber; it was something they might not consider. The plan for the forest was working, and she was at least pleased about something working right.

"I have an idea Gonza, and we need everyone on board for this." He nodded, and she continued: "We split every able bodied man and woman in town in half. In the morning, one group will continue rebuilding the town. I will help direct them personally. The second group will start training with you. Teach them the bow and arrow. That is going to be our main defense. If the gate or walls are breached, then we will fight by sword. They must know both. In the afternoon after food and rest, switch the groups. We should be good if we continue this for the foreseeable future.

"In the meantime, I ask a favor of you. Gather a few of your swiftest men and horses. Send them out toward Lord Asano's palace, or as close as they can get. I want to know what we're up against, and when they are coming, if they haven't done so already."

"I will, milady. Shall it be done tonight?"

Eboshi gave a nod. "The sooner the better Gonza. Make sure they're well fed and rested, and protected as well. I imagine Asano has spies of his own looking at us from a distance, so they must be careful."

"I will inform them of that. You may be right about these spies: I felt like I was being watched earlier today at the market town." Gonza stood up and prepared to back out of the tent. "They may have been watching Ashitaka more though. If it was Asano's men who destroyed his village, then this boy may have been bait for Ashitaka to reveal himself."

"In that case, then we must be quick and prudent," she said grimly. "We'll lose everything if that happens." Eboshi waved him away. Gonza bowed before leaving her home, knowing exactly who he was going to pick for this mission.

Lady Eboshi sat back in her chair, allowing herself to completely relax for the first time since the morning. It was long overdue.

But then her thought from before came back to her. She got up and grabbed her sword and made her way to the gate, hoping it wasn't too late to find the person she was in search of.

* * *

The moon was nearing its apex behind the last remains of the clouds and rains from the afternoon, and San was increasingly beginning to worry. She had hoped to see Ashitaka today, but as the day grew longer and darker, the chances of seeing him slowly dwindled. The commotion in Tatara Ba concerned her greatly, and without Ashitaka, she would not know what it was. She still had no desire to enter the town.

A low growl came behind her. "What is it brother?"

"Someone's coming."

"Who? Is it Ashitaka?" she asked, sounding hopeful.

"No. It is _her_."

Immediately her angered came forward. What was _she_ doing here?

The two looked out and watched as Lady Eboshi slowly made her way up the hill, eventually stopping a good ten feet away from her. They stared each other down for quite some time before anything was said. Eboshi almost forgot why she came up here in the first place.

"What business do you have here?" San asked her. Eboshi remembered then after the venom laced question.

"I need you to come with me. We have a problem."

"Why should I come with you?"

"It involves Ashitaka," Eboshi told her, and San's stance began to soften.

"What happened?" San asked. Lady Eboshi told her about the boy found in the town market, and the strong possibility of a new samurai attack.

"We haven't seen Ashitaka since he returned to his home. That was several hours ago. We've tried talking to him, but to no success. I think that by bringing you there, you can get him to talk."

San stood still, thinking over what was said to her. She looked over to her brother, who she could tell that he was not pleased with the situation. There was nothing that could be done about it though. "I'll go with you," she said to her, "only if you promise not to kill me, or spring a trap on me."

Lady Eboshi nodded, and actually smiled at the mononoke. "Only if you promise not to kill me in return." She turned and started walking down the hill.

"Wait at the gate brother. I hope not to be long, but don't worry. I won't lose my life tonight."

"Do you trust this woman's word?" he asked her.

"I don't," she said honestly. "I think I know why she wouldn't want to though." With that, they began down the hill after Eboshi.

Lady Eboshi turned around as they neared the gate. "This is for Ashitaka."

"What do you mean?" San asked. Her hand slowly slid to her back.

"Before I would have killed you, but now, because of Ashitaka, I let you walk freely within my gates. I'm not sure what were to happen with him if you were killed. It's the bond that you share that is the cause of it. It's something none of us understand, but you make him a stronger and happier person because of it. I think with that reason, you won't kill me either."

"Because of Ashitaka?"

Lady Eboshi nodded.

"He seems to trust you for some strange reason."

"He might be angry with you if you decide to kill me. He's peaceful at heart and mind, and doesn't want any violence at all, especially between you and me. He stopped us from killing each other once before, and that has to mean something."

"You are right about him," San said. She turned back to her brother. "Wait here now. I shall return." The wolf nodded, somewhat hesitant, but the conversation between the humans sounded acceptable to his ears.

Eboshi stood aside, allowing San to enter the town. "This way," she said.

The gate was pulled shut after her.

* * *

Inside his home, Ashitaka laid in bed, staring at the ceiling. Sleep was unfortunately not coming to him this evening, as he didn't feel tired at all, but he also had many thoughts running through his mind involving the events from earlier. It revolved around, and eventually settled upon the destruction of the one home that he lived in for almost his entire life. The boy's words continually rang in his head. Lord Asano had done this terrible deed. Now, he was coming to his new home. That was almost positive.

It was late, and he knew he needed to sleep. He decided then to meet with Lady Eboshi in the morning to discuss strategy, and possibly figure out a way to prepare for Asano's arrival. He began thinking over some ideas, but his thoughts were interrupted by a knocking on his door.

_This late? I wonder who it could be._

"Ashitaka… Ashitaka?" The person knocked on the door again.

"San? What is she doing here at this hour?" He went over and opened the door. San stood there, her hand ready to hit the door again, but as she saw him, she brought her hand back down to her side. She smiled slightly as she saw him, but remembered the sullen reason why she was here.

"Eboshi said that something was wrong," she said. They both turned back, seeing the woman walking off, presumably to her own home. No one else was around.

"Come inside. I'll tell you what happened." He sat her down on the bed, and he spent the next ten minutes pacing about the room, detailing the events from the merchant town earlier in the day and the words from the boy only a few short hours ago. The story left Ashitaka worse for wear yet again.

"Are you positive that Lord Asano is going to attack the town again?" San asked.

"Almost. There is much preparing to be done."

"I know. As it stands now, this town doesn't stand much of a chance against whatever this man attacks with. If the town falls –"

"Don't remind me San," he said, cutting her off mid sentence. "Please, just don't remind me of what will happen."

"I won't." She got up from the bed and stood in front of him. Slowly, she reached out and placed her arms around him, laying her head on his chest. Ashitaka was slow to react, but put his arms around her as well. The hug gave him a bit of comfort after the long day. He suddenly became tired though, much too tired to stay up any longer. The hug sapped him of his remaining strength.

"I must go now," San said. "My brother is waiting for me. Be strong Ashitaka. I will do what I can to help you out."

"Thank you."

Reluctantly, they let go of each other. San hesitated for a moment, not really sure what to do next. She eventually walked passed Ashitaka and opened the door. "Good night," she said, and then she took off into the night.

"Good night," he whispered.

Moments later, he was fast asleep.

* * *

Ashitaka woke up the following morning a little later than normal. He didn't realize how much the previous day had worn him out until he woke up and saw the sun up higher than normal. He shook his head to wake himself completely and climbed out of bed. He quickly cleaned himself up and got dressed, thinking over what needed to be done today. "I must discuss plans with Eboshi," he said aloud to himself.

As he opened the door, Ashitaka was met with complete surprise. The town was full of activity, and seemingly doing two things at once. Half of the town was rebuilding, and the other half could be seen in the distance, towards the rear of the town. It looked as if they were training. It left him highly confused. He looked around before resting his eyes on the main tower by the gates. There, he saw Lady Eboshi, sitting and watching everything that was occurring in the town. He made eye contact with her, and she waved him over.

"What's going on?" he asked her as he reached the top of the tower.

"We're preparing for an attack. Gonza and I discussed a plan last night." She pointed over to the group that was training. Ashitaka could easily see Gonza leading them, barking out orders on how to swing a sword properly. A massive cache of bow and arrow was seen as well, shoved off to the side to be used later.

"It was something I wished to discuss with you today, but it looks like you're ahead of me."

Lady Eboshi nodded. "My apologies Ashitaka, but I had to discuss this without you. Neither of us knew your mental condition after encountering the boy."

"How is he doing?" he asked.

"He's doing all right from what I've heard. His temperature is down slightly, and he's been drinking plenty of water." A loud crash was heard behind them. They turned to see a tree that was knocked down. After several minutes, the rest of the tree was removed from the ground. Several of the town's people moved in and started planting more seeds into the hole, readying another tree for growth. "Your plan is working well Ashitaka. Hopefully it'll be enough to stop whatever Asano is sending our way."

"I wish we knew what we were up against," he said as he stared out into the forest.

"We'll know soon enough," she said, turning to face him. "We sent five spies out last night to investigate. They were told only to observe and to return with whatever information they found out."

Ashitaka merely nodded his head, keeping his gaze out on the forest. They remained that way for a few minutes, maintaining a steady silence while the people of Tatara Ba worked around them. Another tree crashed down to the ground, and they felt a slight rumble of it from where they stood. A minute later, another tree came down, and efforts began to move the felled tree into the town.

As work continued, Ashitaka turned to look at Lady Eboshi. "Thank you."

She looked at him and had to think for a moment as to what she was being thanked for. "Ah… you're welcome." She turned back to the work in front of her. "She was out late last night. She was very worried too."

"I know. It was nice of you to let her in. I appreciate it a lot."

Eboshi nodded. "Hopefully she'll come back inside more often. We have no intentions of harming her. Someday, she may end up trusting humans."

Ashitaka turned away, heading for the ladder. "If we keep our promise to restore the forest, then she will start trusting us more. Give her time, Eboshi. Give her time. I'm going to go check on the boy." With that, he climbed down the ladder, disappearing into the heart of the town.

Lady Eboshi turned back towards the town, putting the conversation to the back of her head and focusing solely on the construction efforts. They will rebuild the town, and then the forest. She had changed for the better; that she knew after losing her arm. She wanted to stay that way.

There was a rumble in the distance. She looked out and saw that it wasn't a tree this time. A quick glance up revealed to her looming storm clouds that were coming in.

_A prelude to turmoil… I wonder if I should look forward to this_, she thought with a slight frown.

It started raining twelve minutes later.

* * *

The rain rattled off the roof above Ashitaka as he sat in silent contemplation with the boy. He learned that his name was Keigo. Ashitaka guessed correctly that he was the grandson of one of the village elders, though he was far from being a future prince of the village. He was a young boy, barely eight years old. It was a miracle that he survived with the wound he received, and for as long as he had been wandering the country. The nurses had said that if he had been alone any longer, and he definitely wouldn't have survived. He also still had a long way to go to recover.

Ashitaka had decided to remain quiet, allowing the boy to rest. The boy had other ideas, trying to lift his head up to talk with his prince. "So how long has it been?" Keigo whispered. His voice still hadn't fully come back to him.

"It's been too long. There was nothing I could do about returning anyway."

"That's… right. Once you leave, you can never return."

Ashitaka tilted his head slightly. Even a boy his age knew of the law within the tribe.

"You received… the Gyoku no Kodachi, right?"

"I did."

Keigo smiled. "Can I see it?"

Ashitaka shook his head. "I gave it to someone."

"Can that person show me?"

"She lives in the woods, and I don't know if she wants to come inside the town. She doesn't exactly like humans all too well." Ashitaka smiled at the thought. _She has gotten somewhat better though, and I'm glad for that._

"It's a girl that lives in the woods? That's strange. Where does she live at?"

"She lives in a cave, with her brothers. They're wolves."

Keigo's eyes opened wide. "That's really strange!" he exclaimed, though he suffered through a coughing bout once he said it. Ashitaka got up and grabbed some water for him. Keigo gladly accepted it.

"You should get some rest. You're still sick, and I heard your wound wasn't fully healed yet."

"I will," Keigo told him. "Can you do me a favor?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"Can you… tell me more about this girl?"

Ashitaka set the water down and returned to his seat. "I don't see a problem with that. You have to promise me you'll get some rest."

"I will," Keigo said with a nod. "So what's her name?"

"San," Ashitaka said, the name sliding off of his tongue and lips. "I met her in the forest…" Time went by as Ashitaka told Keigo what he knew of San, and he talked about the time the two had spent together.

Keigo soon went to sleep.

The rain kept coming down.

* * *

The next day came, and the rain had barely subsided. The work on Tatara Ba continued onward, albeit with more treacherous conditions. The townspeople had to be especially careful given the muddy hill down to the gates, but they made due. Work had slowed down considerably because of the rain, and it didn't sit well with many people there. Still, they pushed forward, cutting down trees, replanting them, and using the trees to fortify the wall.

Ashitaka spent the morning doing just that, helping with bringing the long, thick lumber down the hill into town. It was tiring work, but it had to be done. It had been his home for quick sometime now. He had to do his part in making sure things got done, and everyone was grateful for that fact.

Break time came around, and the two groups of people took a long rest. Ashitaka took this time to dry himself off and put on his light raingear. He found Yakkul in the horse shed, and he quickly pulled him out, mounting him and taking off through the town gate. He took off up the hill and vanished into the forest.

He had an idea for today, but he needed San for it. He didn't see her yesterday because of the rain. It wasn't going to stop him today. He cut Yakkul through the thick copse of trees and brush, and leaped over rocks and ran through small creeks. The beast nearly slipped a couple of times, but he knew how to move in any ground and weather condition. His head and eyes were steady as be passed through the forest.

They soon came to a clearing. They looked out over the short valley, as just beyond it was the small cave that was San's home. The rain was pouring down hard as they sat in the clearing, and as Ashitaka looked down, he saw that the normal path was partially washed out because of the nonstop rain. He looked around some and saw no other option, as this was still the best path to take. He patted Yakkul on his side. "Are you ready?" The beast gave a snort, as if answering the question given to him. He turned his head towards the slope. Ashitaka patted him again, and they began the slow, trying walk down the sloping pathway through the valley.

On the other side of the valley, San looked out of her cave, seeing Ashitaka and his beast start their way across the short field. Her brother had picked up their scent, even in the rain, and had informed his sister about Ashitaka's approach. San nodded. Thoughts swirled in her head as to why Ashitaka would be coming to her at this time, and in this weather. Were they already under attack? Did something happen in the town that somehow needed her assistance? Did he want to come out and see her? She shook her head. She had to keep it the way it was. It was business for them right now; making sure the town was fortified against an attack from Asano.

San couldn't help the smile that came to her face. She was glad to be seeing Ashitaka.

"Come, brother. Let's ride out and meet them." The wolf growled slightly. Was there a good reason for heading out in this weather? He couldn't argue as San climbed onto his back, and the pair exited the cave, running out into the clearing and quickly becoming drenched. The rain and the mud didn't slow them down at all as they ran. They cleared half of the valley in short time, and saw that Ashitaka was slowly making his way towards them.

"Ashitaka!" San called out through the rain. "Why are you here?"

"Come with me. I want you to meet the boy."

"Is he awake?"

"He's doing fine. I told him about you yesterday, and I thought it be nice if I brought you to meet him," he explained. Below him, Yakkul was pacing in the mud. It was clear that he didn't like getting drenched standing there, waiting for San to make up her mind. Ashitaka patted his neck, hoping to calm him down.

"Can this wait? It's pouring out!"

"This rain hasn't let up since yesterday afternoon. I'm not sure when it will either. Come on, I won't keep you long. I'm sure your brother wouldn't mind the run, would you?" If he could, the wolf would have smirked. It almost sounded like a challenge to him.

San looked up to the sky. Ashitaka was right: the rain wasn't slowing down. He came here, through this ugliness. It would be pointless to send him back alone. She thought about asking him back to the cave to dry off some, but then he'd be stuck there for as long as it rained. Not that she minded, of course. The town needs him, as well as the boy.

"Did you say nice things about me?" she asked, turning to look at him.

"I did," Ashitaka replied with a smile. "You're wearing the Gyoku no Kodachi, right?"

"I am." San pulled it out to show him.

"Good. He wanted to see it."

"He knew about it?"

Ashitaka nodded. "He knew the girl that gave it to me. Now he wants to meet the woman I gave it to."

"Okay. Are you ready brother?" she asked, looking down at her brooding brother, clearly not liking the drenching he was getting.

"I wait no longer," he said, taking a few steps forward before taking off past Ashitaka. The Emishi prince quickly pulled Yakkul around and took off behind them, running through the rain as quick as they could to reach Tatara Ba.

* * *

Break time was ending for the people of Tatara Ba, and even though it still rained, they continued to work. The group working the forest in the morning switched over to the training routine, while that morning group went outside of the gate to the top of the hill. As that group walked up the hill, they looked up to see two different beasts running towards them. They panicked, and readied their pike axes and their shovels for whoever was coming. They noticed the riders on each of them.

"Ashitaka!" one of them yelled. "What are you doing?"

Ashitaka pulled Yakkul to a halt. San and her brother stopped a few feet behind them. The wolf was apprehensive when he saw the townspeople armed with their tools. "I'm bringing San to see Keigo," he told them. He patted Yakkul forward, and the workers moved aside, allowing him to go down. San nudged her brother forward, assuring him it was all right. The "truce" she made with Eboshi the other night was still holding.

"Bring your brother inside," Ashitaka said as they came to the gate. "He can dry off in the shed with Yakkul."

"Don't worry. If anything happens to you, they'll have to answer to myself and Ashitaka." The wolf, who sounded distrustful to Ashitaka's plans, was somewhat reassured by his sister's. He nodded, and they followed Ashitaka into the town.

Everything that was occurring within the town had slowed down at the appearance of the wolf and San. Not many people had seen her since so close since the last attack on the town. They saw her on the hill quite often, but never within town. They looked to Ashitaka, who had a calm, almost uplifting demeanor to him, despite the situation around them. Some of them saw it, and immediately became entranced and empowered by it. _If someone like him can be happy and relaxed in this, then why can't we?_

"Come on! We must resume training!" Gonza shouted to the group. They came out of their stupors and began practicing again.

Ashitaka and San left their animal counterparts in the shed before quickly running to Ashitaka's home. "Wait here," he said. "I'll grab you something to dry off with, and some new clothes as well." He rummaged through his things and came out with a cloth. He handed it to her, and he set to work on finding something for her to change into. A few minutes later, Ashitaka came back out, with more cloth in his hands.

"What is that?" San asked.

"It's a simple robe. It might be a little bit too big, but it should be fine enough to cover you."

"I –"

"Do you want to change here or in the other building?" he asked, cutting her off.

San looked down at his hands to the robe. It was a nice cloth. She didn't want it to get wet. Then again, she really didn't want to wear it either. It would have made her feel… almost human. She looked up to Ashitaka, who was waiting for her response.

"I… yeah, I'll wear it. Let's go over to the other building first. I'll change into it there."

Ashitaka nodded. He pulled it under his raingear, and went back behind the bed. He pulled out a straw umbrella and handed it to her. "Take it. You've just dried off. There's no reason for you to get wet again."

San studied it for a moment. "How do I use it?"

"You've never used one, have you?" She shook her head. The only thing Ashitaka could do was smile. "I'll show you." He took the umbrella back from San. Opening the door, he stepped outside and pushed open the umbrella. "Come on! You won't get wet under here."

San came outside and under the umbrella. She looked up at Ashitaka. The smile was still on his face. "Thank you. You look so happy right now, you know?"

He handed the umbrella over. "I feel happy. I have you here."

A light pink came to San's face. "I… I'm happy too." It was something odd that she noticed just now. She had never seen Ashitaka smile like this before, not since the forest was restored. He had smiled on occasion, when they met together on the hill. To see him smiling like this made her feel good. It was like there was no worry in the world to him. No rain, no Asano, nothing at all.

San found a smile creeping to her face as well. "I'm ready to go."

"Follow me then." Ashitaka took off, with San right behind him. She looked down at his hand. It was so very tempting to just reach out and hold it. She refrained herself from it.

It was too human to do so. But what was she doing now? She was running with him in a human town, ready to change into human clothes, and stand in a human infirmary. She had hugged him too, and even one time on her own will power. Yet, she didn't want to hold his hand.

She cursed herself. Why so contradictory? She didn't know why. She cursed herself again. Damn! Just reach out to him already! It's not going to hurt!

San looked up at his face. It was partially covered because of his gear, but it was still there. She felt the urge to touch it, much like his hand.

It was so very tempting to tear out her hair because of this confusion.

They came to a stop. It was the infirmary. "Are you ready to come inside?" Ashitaka asked. The smile was still wrapped around his face.

"Yeah. I'm ready." She cursed herself again. It would have to wait until later.

They went inside and were immediately greeted by one of the nurses. "Ashitaka, I need to speak with you." There was a sense of urgency in her voice that he picked up on.

"One moment." He pulled the robe out – still dry – and handed it to San. "There's an empty room down there I believe. Just pull the door closed behind you and get changed there, okay?"

San nodded, and walked away from them. She found the room, empty as promised, and walked in. She slid the door closed, and let her head fall upon it.

"Damn… I don't know what to do."

She stayed like that for a few minutes, trying to clear her mind of Ashitaka as best she could, or at least the human thoughts that were associated with being with him. It didn't work too well, but she was beginning to get a better understanding of those thoughts.

She was a human, a messed up human, but one nonetheless. She liked Ashitaka. He was probably the source of her problems, but she couldn't let it get to her. She enjoyed his company, and his spirit and determination. While she may have been uncomfortable with some of the more recent things, she was still doing it for him.

San looked over at the robe. It was a nice robe. She realized that she still needed to put it on, which is what she did. She quickly took off her own clothes – still wet – and looked around for some place to hang them. There was a rope tight across two beams on the far side of the room. She put on the robe, and then walked over and hung up her clothes.

She took a moment to look at the robe on her. It was clearly a man's robe, but that didn't matter. San was satisfied with how it looked on her, and how it felt on her. She smiled just then, realizing that this kind of thing may suit her yet.

"No, no," she muttered, shaking her head. "Not right away. I need to feel better around all of these people first before I try that." That was what she decided upon for future human activities.

As she prepared to leave the room, San decided to do what she wanted to do with Ashitaka. She would hold his hand. She would be more willing to hug him, and to hold him. She would be closer to him. Those were fine thoughts to her. San smiled at them.

To kiss him though… that is something entirely different. She had thought about it last night – she was desperate to kiss him – but her hesitance and the situation that occurred with the boy prevented her. It would still be nice to go and kiss him now. She shook her head. It would be best to do it later, if ever. They had to get past Asano first.

She completely resolved herself, and once again a smile came to her face. The first thing she would do when she saw him was grab his hand. San opened the door and started back down the hall. She didn't see Ashitaka. He was probably already in the room. That was fine. She would grab his hand then.

As she approached the door though, something to her didn't seem right. There was a sudden sense of sorrow that overwhelmed her as she reached to open the door. "Is it inside this room?" she whispered.

She boldly opened the door, and saw exactly what she felt.

Ashitaka turned his head towards her, seeing her, but somehow not seeing her. His vision was unfocused and blurry. He turned back to the bed. Keigo lay there, breathing softly, but to San, there was something wrong. She slowly came up to Ashitaka, and was about to ask him what was wrong, when a voice was heard.

"So… you came," Keigo said. His voice was ragged and scratchy, not like an eight year old should sound like. There were beads of sweat coming off his head, yet all he had covering him was a light blanket. His eyes were narrowed in sight, San noticed. _He can barely see me_, she thought.

"Yes, I did."

"And the knife?"

"I do," she said, reaching underneath the robe to pull it out. "Would you like to see it?"

"Please… I would like… to," Keigo said, coughing. Ashitaka gave him some water, and then sat back down, allowing San to come forward. She took off the Gyoku no Kodachi and placed it in the boy's hand. "Thank you," he whispered.

"You're welcome." She kept a hold of his hand as he touched the knife. His hand was delicate and soft. She wondered what was wrong with him.

"You're pretty."

San blushed. "Thank you."

"Ashitaka… he told me… about you yesterday… he said… you're a strong girl… and he admires… admires you a lot." Keigo's breath was becoming shallower.

"I know he does." She turned back to look at Ashitaka and smiled. A small one slowly came to his lips. "He is strong too, you know. He's been through a lot, and he's helped a lot of people in the process."

"Do you… like him?"

"I do."

"I'm… glad." Keigo took a breath. He pulled his hand up to his face. "Can I keep… keep this for… a while?"

San nodded. "You may. I can put it around your neck if you want me to."

"Please." San pulled the knife from his hand, and with the greatest care, she lifted his head up and slipped the cord behind it. She let his head back down and pulled the knife down, letting it sit on his chest. Her hand, she noticed, was completely covered in sweat. It was definite to her now: there was something terribly wrong with the boy.

"Thank you," Keigo said to her. He closed his eyes and continued breathing, in the same harsh manner that it had been since San arrived.

"Get some rest Keigo, okay?"

"I will… promise me… promise me you'll stay?"

"I will. We'll both be here when you wake up."

Keigo smiled slightly. His eyes stayed closed, and his breathing, still harsh, eventually evened out. He had fallen asleep.

Unseen to him, San had reached back and taken a hold of Ashitaka's hand. It wasn't done out of the affection she had planned, but rather out of comfort and friendship. He needed it more now than ever.

* * *

A few hours later, the rain finally stopped.

The clouds opened up, and a soul rode up on his horse, towards the heavens.

* * *

Author's note: wow.

I'm sure everyone is surprised by the fact that it has taken less than a year for the next chapter of this to come out. In fact, it's taken less than two months. Okay, I'm done gloating. I'm keeping my promise though, and that this story will be done by the end of the summer.

As for this chapter, it was difficult at first, I will say. As soon as I decided to get into the interaction between Ashitaka and Keigo, and then San and Keigo, the writing just took off. I must have cranked out nearly 4000 words in half a week's time, and I enjoyed every moment of it. It was going to be longer too (there was going to be a scene with Asano, plus another scene after that involving Ashitaka), but I feel that this was the best way to end this chapter. It ties in a little bit with what was mentioned last chapter, and what will end up being mentioned later.

There are two chapters left in this story. I don't think I can extend it any further than that, but if I can, then I will. I can see what I want to do with this, so it's all a matter of writing it. I have other stories in the pipeline (see my profile for details, and of anything that may interest you), but this will remain the top priority.

Finally, and as promised, the translations: "Tatara Ba" is Iron Town, "Ishibiya" are the guns, "Shoujou" are the monkey/ape gods, and not women (which I believe is "Shoujo", but I may be mistaken), "Shishi Gami" is the spirit of the forest when it appears as a deer-like creature, and "Didarabocchi" is the forest spirit when it appears at night. I think that's all of them.

I should have chapter five out by the end of July. Take care, and God bless.


	5. Light Dark

Disclaimer: see chapter one.

Note: story will now be seven chapters. See note at bottom.

* * *

Night of a Thousand Horses

By ShaggyDiz

Chapter Five: Light/Dark

* * *

The following day, the town spent the early hours mourning over Keigo. Ashitaka and Gonza helped to carry his body on a makeshift gurney and brought him down to a boat at the lake. They placed him inside it and stepped aside, allowing each of the townspeople to pay their final respects. There were some who had gotten close to the boy that were crying bitterly over him. Ashitaka, emotional has he had been in recent weeks, held it within him. He had paid his final respects already to the boy. It also seemed to him as if he had no further capacity to release any emotion. It was leaving him weary and exhausted at times.

He turned and looked back towards the town, up the hill that came alongside it. He saw San there with her brother. She had given her final goodbyes to Keigo yesterday as well. She decided to see him off from here. It wouldn't be proper of her, she thought, to be among the townspeople at this time. They would be apprehensive. Those thoughts of considering interaction with people came back to her, and she shook her head clear of them. "Someday soon," she muttered.

San looked back down at Ashitaka, made eye contact with him, and gave a slight bow of her head. She patted her brother, and they took off. She would come back later, no doubt to check on how Ashitaka was doing.

The viewing lasted for a short time, as people came and went, moving in an organized fashion so that no one would slide off or trip into the water. The embankment was steep, and the rain from the previous day did nothing to help in the traction of the slope. Eboshi had stone stairs set up, which made things easier. She herself was the last to pay her respects.

After she had passed, Ashitaka came up to the boat. There was a blanket of his – one that he brought with him when he left the Emishi village – and covered all of Keigo's body. He stepped out into the water, and with a gentle push, he sent the boat into the lake. The current would eventually take it out to sea.

It was the decision made by Ashitaka last night as they mulled over how to bury the boy. He did not want to bury him in or close to the town. With the impending attack, it wouldn't be right to have his grave be thrashed by heedless samurai. He thought about sending him away, and that's how it came to be this morning.

He took a long look at it, watching as it floated away. He came back on the shore, and took a bow and arrow from Gonza. Behind him was a man who carried a small flaming torch. Ashitaka took the arrow to the torch. The arrow head was tightly bound with cloth and dried leaves as kindling. It quickly lit up, and Ashitaka turned back to the lake, aiming and firing towards the boat. It struck dead center, and second later, the fire spread throughout the boat. The body would be gone, reduced to ashes and releasing the boy completely from the physical boundaries of this world.

It was how Ashitaka wanted it done.

He left the lake with a frown on his face. He was sure that Keigo would be the only one receiving this final courtesy.

* * *

_This field is familiar…_

Ashitaka found himself staring up at the sun. He was comfortable where he was at, and as he looked down, he saw that he was lying on grass. It surrounded him, save for the occasional flower and cherry blossom. The wind blew, making the grass wave and ripple like an ocean. It kissed Ashitaka's face as it came; it made him cool underneath the sun.

He liked it here.

He sat up, looking around for a moment. He wondered where San was at. She should have been around here somewhere. Ah well. She would come later. He looked out in the distance. Several hundred yards away, Ashitaka saw a small village. It was surrounded by bamboo walls, and several towers were erected in the town, stationed at each corner. He saw a couple people within the towers, but none of them saw him.

_This village is familiar…_

Ashitaka got up and started off towards the village. There was a soft gallop behind him. He turned and found Yakkul riding up beside him. "At least you're here," he said to his mount. He pulled himself up onto the beast, and together they started towards the settlement. As they rode, Ashitaka had the nagging feeling that something was off with this situation.

They continued their slow march, but as they approached, they were not seen. Ashitaka was tempted to call out to them. He was about to when a sudden explosion came from the far side of the walled community. Ashitaka pulled Yakkul to a stop. A second explosion went off, and soon the whole village was in a commotion. "What's happening?" he asked himself. There were shouts of chaos, and of pain, and he knew he needed to get there as soon as he possibly could. He kicked Yakkul, and they took off, rushing as fast as they could to the village.

The commotion continued from within. The sounds of death were soon escaping over the walls. There were other shouts, ones that were unintelligible. Ashitaka wondered what they were as they rode on. Faster they went, but even as Yakkul was kicked on, they appeared to get no closer to the town. Was it some sort of curse or spell that prevented him from getting closer to the town? He didn't know. He continued forward as best as he could, though with each stationary step forward, the cries of panic and pain from the village filled the air. The other shouts slowly started making sense.

"Long…"

_Long what…?_

"Long live…"

_No…_

He didn't need to hear the rest to know what it was. Ashitaka stopped Yakkul and stared on. The village before him was his home: the Emishi village. It was the samurai that was attacking the village.

They were Lord Asano's samurai.

_Am I reliving this?_

He didn't have anytime to think. There was a roar that came from behind him, and he turned to find a Tatari Gami bearing down on him. He saw him, and realized that it was the same one that cursed him months ago. Ashitaka went for his sword, but found that it wasn't there. He had to get away. He kicked Yakkul, but he wouldn't move.

"Why won't you… what?!" He looked down, and saw that he was riding upon a wooden horse now! He did not know what was going on. There was no time to figure it out. A voice called out to him. It was low, filled with evil and loathing.

"ASHITAKA!" It was the Tatari Gami. "ASHITAKA!"

"What? What do you want? Get away from me!" The cursed demon would not listen. He was mere feet from him now.

"ASHITAKA! MY CURSE IS UPON YOU!"

The Tatari Gami suddenly leapt in the air and spread itself wide. The only thing Ashitaka could do was watch as the overwhelming blackness of the demon came down upon him.

And then, Ashitaka woke up.

* * *

"Lady Eboshi! Lady Eboshi! Wake up!" There was a frenzied knocking on her door. Eboshi woke up when she heard it. She pulled on her robe and tied it as best as she could before opening the door.

"What is it?" she asked the woman at the door.

"It's Ashitaka! There's something wrong with him!"

Eboshi's eyes opened wide. She strode passed the woman, pausing only briefly to grab her sword. She didn't know why, but she knew that there was a feeling of danger to this situation. She would feel somewhat more secure with a weapon in her hands.

The pair quickly went outside. They found part of the town standing by Ashitaka's home, though at a somewhat safe distance from it. About eight or nine men had halberds in their hands, though they were clearly in fear of what was within the house.

"What's going on?" Eboshi asked as she approached the crowd.

"It was sudden," the lead man said. "Ashitaka started screaming. A couple people approached the house, but were driven back by something unknown. He's still screaming, but the house is shaking as well."

Eboshi nodded grimly. "Whatever it is, we need to stop it. Where's Gonza?"

"Over in the infirmary. He was one of the people who went to the house. Something in there attacked him and knocked him out."

"Damn it." She had to think. The screaming continued on and off, and the house shook even more now. Deciding on a course of action, she turned to a people standing next to her and handed them her sword. She pulled the blade out and brought it forward. Despite her loss of an arm, Lady Eboshi's swordsmanship was still among the best in Tatara Ba. She had confidence in her ability to take down Ashitaka if she needed to.

"Ashitaka!" she called out. "Answer me!"

She got her answer in a most violent way. The door to the house suddenly shattered and splintered in every direction away from the house. Eboshi brought her robe up just in time to block many of the fragments that shot away from the now former entrance. She waited for the dust to settle before pulling her arm down. What she saw filled her with fear.

A hand completely covered in darkness gripped the doorframe. It remained there for a few moments before something new was seen. Black worms. They writhed and squirmed inside of the house. They slapped against the inside of the wall, causing cracks to form on the outside. More screaming was heard from within.

Suddenly, Eboshi knew what it was, and where she saw it from before. "You two! Wake everyone up and evacuate the town now! There is a Tatari Gami here." Recognition formed on the faces of many of those who were present. The two she pointed to – part of the halberd team – nodded in understanding and quickly went off, rushing everyone towards the gate. By now, the entire town had waked up because of the commotion. They too moved as quickly as they could to the gate. Eboshi remained at the house, as well as a half dozen armed men to protect her as well as the escaping townspeople. Her gaze remained on the house. The worms continued slapping against the walls and the surrounding air, further spreading the darkness that it exuded.

"Ashitaka!" Eboshi cried out. Fear still gripped her, but she did not allow it to overwhelm her. Her call to the Emishi prince was calm and controlled.

"Lady… Eboshi…"

She heard the voice. It was filled with pain and agony. He had become the cursed one again. It wasn't a Tatari Gami that she had thought it was originally. It didn't matter. Something had to be done.

"What happened to you?"

"I… don't… know… help me…"

"Can you control it?"

There was a delayed response. Ashitaka came into view of Eboshi and the others. She could see the full extent of the curse. Worms covered most of his arm that had been cursed months before. His other arm gripped hard on it, as if trying to contain the curse.

"Can you control it Ashitaka?" she asked again.

"I'm… trying…" He attempted to bring the worms under control. His eyes shot open as more pain erupted from his arm. He also tried falling back to the house, but he couldn't. The worms had spotted Eboshi, and several of them shot out towards her.

Eboshi quickly dodged out of the way as three of them went by, and she swung her sword up at them. The blade cut right through them, but even as the dead pieces fell off, the ends reformed and turned towards Eboshi. _Too fast!_ She dodged again, barely getting out of the way of the worms. She slashed again, but the same thing happened.

Fortunately for her, the worms retracted back to Ashitaka's arm. It gave her a brief moment to recover, for when the old worms went back, a new set sped towards her. One of the guards cut them down and moved towards Ashitaka, ignoring Eboshi's cry to stop. It was too late, as a worm shot out, snapping the halberd in half and knocking the guard several yards away from the house. He was conscious, but barely.

"Fall back!" Eboshi commanded. The small group quickly fell back, attempting to stay out of range of the worms. Ashitaka saw this and helped as well, moving back into the house. Darkness swelled around him and his home. The worms continued slapping everything they could, with no end in sight. The curse would soon completely take him over.

He didn't want to think of that.

There was a faint cry in the distance, coming from somewhere around the town. Ashitaka barely heard it over the racket he caused. His eyes opened, looking through the darkness and out of the house. His name was called. It sounded familiar to him.

"San…?"

It was her. She stood in front of Lady Eboshi, panting heavily. Had she ran here to help him? Surely her brother must have carried her here. Why was he thinking that? He stared out at her, even though his vision was partially blinded by the darkness surrounding him.

"Ashitaka!" she called out. "Control it!"

He wanted to answer back, but couldn't. He didn't know how to control it. He would end up hurting everyone here. He looked outside again, towards San. A tear rolled down the side of her face.

_Is she crying for me?_

Somehow, the pain stopped. Ashitaka looked down at his arm. The worms still flayed about, but there was something different about them now. He twisted his arm up. They weren't lashing out as they had been just moments before. He controlled his arm again. Was it San that caused this?

He thought about it briefly. It was her love for him, and his love for her that stopped the pain. That's right. All he had felt was pain. He was the last Emishi. His new home was going to be attacked. Only San took that pain away. She made him happy.

Their love made them strong. He focused all of his thoughts on those positive emotions. He felt the worms retreating, melting back into his cursed arm. It was working. Soon, they disappeared completely. The darkness soon followed.

Outside, Eboshi and San looked on. They were slow to come forward, not knowing if the curse was brought completely under control. Eboshi looked over to the mononoke. "How did you know to come here?"

"My brother felt a wave of darkness wash over him. He knew who it was immediately. We got here as fast as we could."

"Thank you. I'm sure he wouldn't have been able to calm down with us out here with a bunch of weapons."

San frowned. "At least he is calm now." As if to prove her point, Ashitaka slowly came forward, finding himself standing at the doorway. He looked at her and smiled.

"San…" he whispered.

And then he fainted.

* * *

Ashitaka slowly opened his eyes. He narrowed them as the light in wherever he was at was exceedingly bright. He wondered if he was outside at the moment. He turned away from the light, finding a dim spot and focusing his gaze there. When he did that, he tried reaching up to rub his eyes. He found that he couldn't. He let out a groan of agitation, as if trying to speak out and wonder why he couldn't move.

"Hey, I think he's waking up," a woman's voice said. There were sounds of people moving around him, and he wondered who was in the area with him.

"Ashitaka?" another woman's voice said; this one was much more familiar than the other one. Ashitaka turned towards the source of the voice, finding nothing but light. His eyes were slowly adjusting to the brightness. Slowly he started opening them more. "He is awake. Ashitaka, how are you?"

He groaned again. His voice hadn't come back yet.

"Take your time. I'll get you some water." Ashitaka groaned in response again. He recognized the voice as San's, and he was relieved to hear it. He wondered if he was out in a field or by her cave. He quickly realized that the other voice in the room was a nurse of some sort.

He was still in Tatara Ba.

"Here, drink this," San said as she returned to the bed. She brought a cup to Ashitaka's lips and tipped it, allowing the water to slowly trickle into his mouth. He drank it all. He smiled at her as she pulled the cup away. San returned the smile, though he clearly saw that it wasn't completely there. It almost seemed empty to him.

"What's… wrong…" he said with a groan. His voice returned, albeit not completely. "Why…"

San brought a finger to his lips. "Stay quiet. You need your strength. You've been out two days. It's by some strange miracle that you've survived this long. The curse has spread."

Ashitaka tried to look down, but again found that the restraints – and his limited strength – prevented him from during so. "Why…" He couldn't finish the question, but San picked up on it.

"It was for all of our safety. Eboshi decided it… and I agreed with her. We don't know if it'll return like it did the other night, but we have to be careful." She paused for a moment, looking over his body. She got up and prepared another cup of water for him. "When you've regained your strength, we'll figure out what to do," San said to him.

He merely grunted in response. San came over with water, and assisted him again with it. She smiled again; this time it suited her better.

"Thank… you…"

She gave no response, save for lightly stroking his cursed hand. It was what she had been doing since he was brought into the infirmary. She left his side only for brief moments, mostly to learn about anything that she could from Eboshi. A makeshift bed was made on the floor next to Ashitaka, allowing her to sleep by him and comfort him in case anything bad was to happen. Her brother opted to remain in the forest for the time being, finding that it would be better to keep an eye on the humans out there while also keeping a look out for the invasion force. It served her interests well. She would have done the same had Ashitaka been injured any other way.

Her trust in humans, while still minimal, was growing. Allowing her to stay with Ashitaka was evidence of that.

"Get some sleep now. I'll be here when you wake up." Ashitaka groaned, and shut his eyes, attempting to get some sleep.

San remained by his side until he did, and then she fell asleep on her own accord.

* * *

Two more days went by. By now, a large portion of Ashitaka's strength had returned, as well as his voice. He was more readily able to speak with San. He asked her about the progress that the town made.

He learned a great deal about what was being done. The walls of the town were nearly complete. There would only be one more day of work towards it, and then the focus would shift on reinforcing the gate and the training that the townspeople were undertaking. They had apparently cut all of the trees that they needed, and all of them had been replanted, plus some. They stuck with Ashitaka's plan, although it was clearly evident from what San saw and what Lady Eboshi told her that some of the people had become fearful of the Emishi prince from half a week before. He frowned when he learned about this, but it was only expected.

There was also news of at least one of the spies returning. He offered very little information; save for that the size of the samurai force pushed nearly five thousand strong. Eboshi had simply nodded, and walked away. Ashitaka understood her reaction completely: they were outnumbered by at least ten to one, if not more. Their hope was for the walls to hold. At least this time it would only be an army of swords, and none with the dreaded Ishibiya. Hopefully they had enough arrows to hold them off and force a retreat.

Outside of that, there was nothing more to learn for the time being. Ashitaka was thankful for it and relaxed. He found out once he woke up that he was still strapped to the bed. He looked over to San as she gathered some water for him.

"San, am I allowed to get up?"

She looked over to him. "I don't know. The humans might not like it."

"I don't care. I can't stay here forever, even with the samurai getting ready to attack. I would be pretty useless here."

"I know." San walked back over to him and gave him some water. "Do you want me to ask?"

"No," he said without any hesitation. "I'll leave it to Eboshi to decide what to do with me."

"And if you go crazy?"

"It'll be up to you to deal with me. I'm in control of it now; at least I believe I am."

She nodded, somewhat reassured, and pulled out her blade. It took her a few moments to cut each length of rope – they had used a very thick, tightly wound rope to hold him down – but soon he was freed. He stood up, and was finally able to see how much of his body had been covered by the curse. His entire right hand and most of his forearm was completely covered in blackness. The original curse was there, as well as the scarring that was left behind after it disappeared the first time. From his forearm, the blackness came up in streaks, both thick and thin, up to his shoulder. Part of his upper chest had thin lines as well. There were streaks that lined part of his side. They didn't reach very far. He wondered if it was the snakes on his arm that caused or if it grew directly on his side. It left him puzzled.

"Is there any more?" he asked as he looked up to see her.

"Here." She pointed to the side of her face and her neck. The curse had gone that far up. Ashitaka wondered if it had started from his head and not his hand. It made some sort of sense though.

"The dream…" he muttered.

"What dream?" Ashitaka looked over to San. He hadn't told her yet. He spent a few minutes explaining to her what he saw in great detail, making sure to leave nothing out. Maybe she could connect something to this whole thing that he couldn't.

"Was this the first time you had this dream?" she asked.

"It was, although…"

"Yes?"

"My hand…" He looked down at it, contemplating it for some reason. It started at his hand, which was clear enough. It didn't start from his head, or else the blackness would be thicker up there. "My hand… it hurt at times in recent weeks."

"How come?"

"I felt grief. Sorrow. Anger. I wasn't able to be as close to you as I wanted to be. The destruction of the village and the death of the boy made me unhappy and miserable. The Shoujous' stubbornness made me aggravated and spiteful. All these reasons together must have done it."

San nodded. It was making sense to her. "The boy must have pushed it over the edge then, and allowed it to return."

"Possibly," Ashitaka said. The pieces did fit to him as well. "Of course, this time it will kill me. The Shishi Gami isn't here to heal me."

"Oh."

"Hey…"

"Don't."

"Don't what?" Ashitaka asked.

"Don't make this sound so trivial. You're going to die this time. You make it sound like it's a welcomed event. I don't want to lose you."

"I know." The situation was starting to get to him. He was definitely going to die this time, killed by the curse that returned to him in his depression. He did not know how much time he had remaining. Hours? Days? Weeks? Months? Definitely not years. Hopefully he would survive long enough to deal with this current threat. He looked at his arm again. He would definitely need a miracle.

The silence between the two had started becoming unbearable. "Let's go outside," he suggested. "I want to look at the progress."

"Okay." Ashitaka took a step forward and immediately stumbled. San quickly grabbed him before he completely fell over, managing to hold him up. He looked over to her, his face mere inches away from hers. They both went red at seeing how close they were. He studied her lips. Oh how nice it would be to kiss her right now.

"Ashitaka…"

"Not now," he whispered. "Not here. I want to be away from here."

She looked at him sadly, but understood. "Where do you want to go?"

"Anywhere with you… anywhere but here."

"The forest would be nice. We could go there."

Ashitaka liked that. "The lake would be good too. It'll be a nice getaway."

San smiled. It was full, much more than it was two days prior. She kept those thoughts in her head. For now, there was the matter of getting Ashitaka moving. "Come on. Let's go outside."

It took a moment for the both of them to get steady. San concentrated on standing up as best she could before supporting the bulk of Ashitaka's weight. Walking by himself wasn't the best plan at the moment. After being confined to a bed for four days, being able to walk would have been extremely difficult to do. He noted to her that he was ready, and together they walked out of the infirmary.

It was the shock of seeing Ashitaka moving that cause everyone in Tatara Ba to stop what they were doing. Seeing him moving about was one thing, as those that were scared of him were worried that he might snap again. For many others, this was the first time that they had seen how the curse covered him. They were becoming fearful of him, and it showed, as jaws slowly dropped, people started whispering to each other, and others simply backed away. Ashitaka expected it, though he still wished that some of them would at least have been unafraid of what was becoming of him.

_Getting away now would be simply wonderful…_

"Get back to work!" called a voice from behind the main gathering of people. The crowd parted, revealing a rather steamed Lady Eboshi. It was difficult to figure out whom to be more fearful of at this moment: Ashitaka's curse or Eboshi's wrath? The townspeople quickly dispersed, resuming their work.

"Did you cut him loose?" she asked San.

"She did, at my insistence."

Eboshi looked over to Ashitaka. She paid no mind to his curse ridden body. She had seen much, much worse before the death of the Shishi Gami. "It's dangerous for you to be walking about like this."

"I know. I wanted to get some air," he told her calmly.

"Well, you've got your air. Do you need anything else?" It was clear that she did not want to see him outside like this.

Ashitaka smiled, and it shocked Eboshi. When was the last time he smiled like that? "I wanted to see how things were actually," he said to her. "San was telling me a lot about what I missed." San nodded from underneath his arm.

"Very well." She turned to walked away. She paused briefly though. "Why are you suddenly so jubilant?" she asked him, turning her head back towards him.

"I realized that the best way to control this thing was to remain calm and think positively. It came back because I felt nothing but grief."

"I see." She walked away, causing San and Ashitaka to believe that she understood his explanation.

"Where shall we go to now?" San asked him.

"I –" He was cut off by a new commotion that was occurring. They turned and looked towards the gate. It was difficult to see over the developing crowd. It turned out to be another spy that returned, though with another horse with him. The spy looked to be wounded as well.

"Harima! Report!" Gonza shouted over the crowd while waving a few nurses through to him.

"They're on the move… the samurai," Harima said, his voice coming between pants of air. It appeared as if his lungs were damaged in his escape.

"Whose horse is that?"

"It was Ito's horse… I don't know what happened to him. He stayed… behind to fight. I barely escaped…" He coughed violently and almost fell off his horse. Several people moved forward and helped him down to the ground. A makeshift stretcher was being passed through the crowd.

"Rest easy Harima," Gonza said to him as they prepared to put him on. "I'll speak with you more later on."

By now, Eboshi had passed through the crowd. "Gonza! Meet me in my home. We need to discuss this."

"Milady…" Harima said through clenched teeth.

"Stay quiet. Conserve your strength. You'll need it to survive the night." She laid a hand on him in hopes of calming him down.

"They arrive… in three days…" His eyes closed, though he was still breathing.

Eboshi turned away, walking back to her home.

She knew, much like everyone else would know very soon, that they had little time remaining.

* * *

Author's note: I decided that, after careful consideration, this chapter will end at this point. It's a perfect stopping point, launching right into a scene that should have come here. Asano will be back, I promise.

I realize that the plot involving Ashitaka and the return of his curse probably has been done to death (I haven't read very many stories here at all to get a good idea of how many there are). I do hope that the way I'm dealing with it is at least done in an original manner.

So now, this story will be seven chapters. Work will get started on it right away. I have until August 18th to get this done. While my summer doesn't officially end for another week after that date, I will be camping for a week in the Grand Canyon (of Pennsylvania, not that other one), so absolutely no writing will get done.

As it stands, I like how this story is progressing, even if it has slowed to a snail's pace in this chapter. Things will definitely pick up, simply because they have to. As always, read and review.


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